Business

Naira Redesign in Overall Interest of Nigerians, Economy – CBN

Published

2 years ago

October 30, 2022

Trends Admin

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele

*Insists due approval sought, obtained from Buhari

*Moghalu backs apex bank, says policy will address insecurity

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday urged Nigerians to support the currency redesign project which is in their overall interest and that of the economy at large.
The central bank further insisted that it followed the law and due process to carry out the redesigning exercise, which is 12 years due.
This is coming as a former Deputy Governor of the CBN, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu has commended the apex bank on the proposed redesigning of the naira, saying the measure will address insecurity in the country.
The apex bank’s clarification came against the backdrop of claims by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, that her ministry was not carried along in the proposed redesigning of the Naira.

CBN Director in charge of Corporate Communication, Mr. Osita Nwanisobi, had in a statement, expressed surprise at the minister’s claim, stressing that the CBN remains a “very thorough institution that follows due process in its policy actions”.
He said the CBN management, in line with provisions of section 2(b), section 18(a), and section 19(a)(b) of the CBN Act 2007, had duly sought and obtained the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari in writing to redesign, produce, release and circulate new series of N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes.
Nwanisobi urged Nigerians to support the currency redesign project, stressing that some persons were hoarding significant sums of banknotes outside the vaults of commercial banks.

He argued that such a trend should not be encouraged by anyone who means well for the country.

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He pointed out that currency management in the country had faced several escalating challenges which threatened the integrity of the Naira, the CBN, and the country in general, adding that every top-rate central bank was committed to safeguarding the integrity of the local legal tender, the efficiency of its supply, as well as its efficacy in the conduct of monetary policy.

On the timing of the redesign project, Nwanisobi explained that the CBN had even tarried for too long considering that it had to wait 20 years to carry out a redesign, whereas the standard practice globally was for central banks to redesign, produce and circulate new local legal tender every five to eight years.
While assuring Nigerians that the currency redesign exercise was purely a central banking exercise and not targeted at any group, the CBN spokesman expressed optimism that the effort will, among other goals, deepen Nigeria’s push to entrench a cashless economy in the face of increased minting of the eNaira.

This, he said, is in addition to helping to curb the incidents of terrorism and kidnapping due to access of persons to the large volume of money outside the banking system used as a source of funds for ransom payments.

The CBN director urged Nigerians, irrespective of their status, to support the Naira redesign project as it is for the greater good of the economy.
The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, had on Wednesday announced a proposed redesign of the currency in the variation of N200, N500 and N1,000.
Emefiele, who pointed out that the change was a sequel to the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari, said circulation of the new banknotes would commence on December 15, 2022.

He said the development was also aimed at checking the increasing ease and risk of currency counterfeiting evidenced by several security reports, and the increased risk to financial stability as well as the worsening shortage of clean and fit currency, with the attendant negative perception of the central bank.
Emefiele said there was significant hoarding of naira notes by members of the public, with statistics showing that over 80 per cent of the currency in circulation was outside the vaults of the commercial banks.
He said as of September 2022, a total of N3.2 trillion was in circulation, of which N2.73 trillion was outside the vaults of the banks, describing the development as unacceptable.

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Emefiele explained that the new and existing notes would remain legal tender and circulate together until January 31, 2023, when the existing currencies shall seize to be legal tender.
As a result, he said all banks currently holding the existing denominations of the currency might begin returning the notes to the CBN immediately, adding that the newly designed currency would be released to the banks on a first come, first served basis.
Emefiele also urged bank customers to begin paying into their bank accounts the existing currency notes to enable them to withdraw the new banknotes once circulation begins in mid-December 2022.

Moghalu Backs Apex Bank, Says Policy Will Address Insecurity

Meanwhile, a former Deputy Governor of the CBN, Prof. Moghalu, has commended the apex bank on the proposed redesigning of the naira.
Moghalu, a political economist, who gave the commendation in a statement issued yesterday in Lagos, advocated a 90-day window for the implementation.
He said: “I fully support the Central Bank of Nigeria in redesigning the Naira. If 80 per cent of banknotes in circulation are outside the banks, that is troubling.
“The CBN obviously wants to force all those notes back into the banking system. Those with the notes must surrender them to get new ones or else it becomes illegal tender after January 31, 2023.

“This is also a way to withdraw currency from circulation, an unorthodox way of tightening the money supply since the country is battling high inflation.
“The flip side is that people who are holding huge amounts of cash outside the banking system for nefarious reasons will go to the parallel forex market to buy hard currency, putting further downward pressure on the value of the Naira as too much Naira will be chasing too few dollars.”
He, however, expressed doubt that the step would solve inflation, “because there also are other major reasons for inflation such as the forex crisis, which this new move can exacerbate, as well as the impact of the security crisis on food price inflation.”
According to him, the step, however, has become necessary for national security but the window for implementation is too short.
“This will put a lot of operational pressure on commercial banks and the financial system in general.

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“A 90-day window will have been better, but one can understand the need to avoid interfering with the elections,” he added.

Youth Leaders Back CBN, Urge Emefiele to Ignore Finance Minister

In a related development, a group, Ethnic Youth Leaders, has also called on Emefiele, to ignore the Minister of Finance, Ahmed, over her attack on the naira redesigning proposal and go ahead with its decision to launch the new notes in December.
The group who made the call in a statement by its convener, Godwin Meliga, in Abuja yesterday, described the minister’s statement as reckless and a plot to undermine President Buhari.

The group insisted that the decision to redesign naira is a welcomed development as it was a way of tightening the money supply in the face of rising inflation.
It therefore urged the finance minister to apologise to Buhari, and the CBN over her reckless attack.
“We are of the view that CBN doesn’t need to notify her ministry, in line with the law. The decision to replace some naira denominations with new ones would be positive for the economy in the medium to long-term,” the group explained.

Thisday

Related Topics:CBN Economy Naira Nigerians Redesign

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Lagos Rail Mass Transit part of FG free train ride – NRC

Published

2 days ago

December 21, 2024

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Lagos Rail Mass Transit part of FG free train ride – NRC

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has disclosed that the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) trains are included in the Federal Government’s free train ride initiative for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The LRMT, which currently includes the Phase 1 Blue Line Rail and the Phase 1 of the Red Line Rail, operates under the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).

This announcement was made by Ben Iloanusi, the Acting Managing Director of the NRC, during an interview on NTA News TV on Friday, following the launch of the initiative earlier that day.

While Iloanusi stated that Phase 1 of both the Blue Line and Red Line Rail projects are part of the program, LAMATA has yet to confirm this inclusion.

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Iloanusi outlined the other routes benefiting from the scheme, which include the Lagos-Ibadan Train Service, Kaduna-Abuja Train Service, Warri-Itakpe Train Service, Port Harcourt-Aba Train Service, and the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Mass Transit in Lagos. Notably, little was previously known about the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Mass Transit service until this disclosure.

“Let me mention the routes where this free train service is happening. We have the Lagos-Ibadan Train Service, we have the Kaduna-Abuja Train Service, we have the Warri-Itakpe Train Service, we have the Lagos Rail Mass Transit trains, we have the Port Harcourt-Aba Train Service, and we have what we call the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Mass Transit, which is also in Lagos,” he stated.

Iloanusi provided operational updates, stating that passengers nationwide can access free tickets online or, for those unable to do so, at train stations where they will be profiled and validated.

He noted that passengers using NRC-managed services (excluding the Lagos Rail Mass Transit) should reserve tickets via the official website, www.nrc.gov.ng, with a valid ID required. He also advised travelers to plan, arrive on time, and bring valid identification.

Lagos Rail Mass Transit part of FG free train ride – NRC

Business

NNPC denies claim of Port Harcourt refinery shutdown

Published

2 days ago

December 21, 2024

Trends Admin

Port Harcourt refinery

NNPC denies claim of Port Harcourt refinery shutdown

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has denied claims in media reports that the newly refurbished Port Harcourt refinery has shut down.

The national oil company denied the claim in a press release issued by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, on Saturday.

Soneye said the claim was false and urged Nigerians to disregard it. He stressed that the Port-Harcourt Refinery is fully operational.

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The statement read, “The attention of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has been drawn to reports in a section of the media alleging that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery which was re-streamed two months ago has been shut down.

“We wish to clarify that such reports are totally false as the refinery is fully operational as verified a few days ago by former Group Managing Directors of NNPC.”

He noted that preparation for the day’s loading operation is currently ongoing, and added that claims of the shutdown are “figments of the imagination of those who want to create artificial scarcity and rip-off Nigerians.”

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Business

CBN permits BDCs to buy up to $25,000 FX weekly from NFEM

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Trends Admin

CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso

CBN permits BDCs to buy up to $25,000 FX weekly from NFEM

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted Bureau de Change (BDC) operators temporary permission to purchase up to $25,000 weekly in foreign exchange (FX) from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM).

This move, detailed in a circular dated December 19, 2024, is designed to meet seasonal retail demand for FX during the holiday period.

The circular was signed by T.G. Allu, on behalf of the Acting Director of the Trade and Exchange Department.

The arrangement will be in effect from December 19, 2024, to January 30, 2025.

Under the directive, BDCs may purchase FX from a single Authorized Dealer of their choice, provided they fully fund their accounts before accessing the market.

Transactions to occur at the prevailing NFEM rate

The transactions will occur at the prevailing NFEM rate, and BDCs are required to adhere to a maximum 1% spread when pricing FX for retail end-users.

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All transactions conducted under this scheme must be reported to the CBN’s Trade and Exchange Department.

The circular read in part:

“In order to meet expected seasonal demand for foreign exchange, the CBN is allowing a temporary access for all existing BDCs to the NFEM for the purchase of FX from Authorised Dealers, subject to a weekly cap of USD 25,000.00 (Twenty-five thousand dollars only).

This window will be open between December 19, 2024 to January 30, 2025.

“BDC operators can purchase FX under this arrangement from only one Authorized Dealer of their choice and will be required to fully fund their account before accessing the market at the prevailing NFEM rate. All transactions with BDCs should be reported to the Trade and Exchange department, and a maximum spread of 1% is allowed on the pricing offered by BDCs to retail end-users.”

The CBN assured the general public that PTA (Personal Travel Allowance) and BTA (Business Travel Allowance) remain available through banks for legitimate travel and business needs.”

These transactions are to be conducted at “market-determined exchange rates” within the NFEM framework.

This initiative reflects the CBN’s strategy to stabilize the FX market and manage seasonal surges in demand.