CBN Denies Devaluing Naira, Says News is Fake

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has denied devaluing the Nigerian Naira from N464.67 per dollar to N631 reported by some online platforms.

The platforms had quoted Importers and Exporters (I&E) foreign exchange window used by the central bank as the official exchange rate as its source, however, a check by Investors King showed that the Naira to Dollar exchange rate opened at N464.10 and closed at N464.67 on Wednesday.

A top official of the apex bank, who told this medium that the report is completely false, warned that such reports could have serious adverse consequences for the economy.

“The report is not true. The CBN has not devalued the naira. The exchange rate of the naira on the FMDQ website as at yesterday was N464.67 per dollar. The authors of the report may have their own agenda, but the CBN’s plan is that the best approach is to allow for a gradual convergence of all the rates.”

According to the top official, the CBN has not changed its strategy of allowing a gradual convergence of the parallel and official market exchange rates.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during his inauguration speech, had announced that one of his administration’s agenda is to converge the nation’s numerous exchange rates and streamline business processes to encourage foreign investors’ participation in economic growth.

The new president went on to announce an end to fuel subsidy that has plummeted the nation’s resources at the expense of development in strategic sectors.

On Tuesday, the Nigerian stock exchange responded positively to the news with investors scooping as much as they could ahead of a projected better economy. The Nigerian stock market appreciated by over 5% in a single day, the largest of such gain in 30 months and the second largest in  7 years.