Reps threaten Emefiele with warrant of arrest over new naira notes – Newstrends
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Reps threaten Emefiele with warrant of arrest over new naira notes

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The House of Representatives has given Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emeifile, a last opportunity to appear before it to explain why there is still scarcity of redesigned naira notes at banks and automated teller machines across the country.

others who have failed to honour their invitations.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, expressed his anger over the refusal of the CBN Governor to attend the meeting with the ad-hoc committee led by the House Leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, on Wednesday which was later rescheduled for Thursday.

He said should the CBN governor and others fail to appear at the next meeting, he risked arrest by the police, threatening to issue a warrant of arrest.

But the CBN governor in a letter which was read on the floor of the House by the Speaker on Thursday explained that he would not be available for the meeting.

The speaker however said, “They were invited to give reasons for the ongoing failure to adequately disburse the redesigned naira notes before the expiration of the deadline of 31st January 2023, when the old notes will cease to be legal tender.

“The House further constituted an ad-hoc committee led by the Majority Leader, Rep. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, for this purpose. No official of the CBN appeared to respond to the summons by the House of Representatives. This is unacceptable.

“The Resolution of the House was predicated on information showing that the rollout of the redesigned naira notes has been an unmitigated failure. This failure has real and dire consequences on the ability of Nigerians to conduct business across the country.

“The refusal by the CBN to heed the invitation by the House of Representatives is evidence of a blatant disregard for the well-being of the Nigerian people who are their customers. It is also an insult to the authority and prerogatives of the people’s parliament.

“Therefore, I will, pursuant to the authority conferred by Section 89 (1)(d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Order 19 (2)(1) of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives, not to hesitate to issue a warrant to the Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force to compel the attendance of the CBN or Managing Directors who fail, refuse or neglect to respond to the summons by the House of Representatives”.

The Ad-hoc committee on Wednesday agreed to reschedule the meeting with CBN and Banks Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) to Thursday after an earlier letter by the CBN which informed the committee that, the invitation letter was received late.

Chairman of the committee, House Leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, said they gave the CBN the benefit of the doubt and that on no condition should the CBN miss the rescheduled meeting.

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Dangote Refinery can sell petrol to any marketer – NNPC

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Dangote Refinery

Dangote Refinery can sell petrol to any marketer – NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has said it has no desire or intention to be the sole offtaker of petrol produced by the Dangote Refinery Limited, DRL.

NNPC Ltd said this while reacting to claim by the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, which claims that the Dangote Refinery Limited (DRL) is being undermined by actions of the NNPC Ltd.

MURIC had in a statement issued on Friday claimed that recent changes to the pump price of petrol will prevent the Dangote Refinery from selling the product at lower prices to Nigerians.

The group also claimed NNPC Ltd. has become the sole offtaker of all products from the refinery.

However, Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd in a statement on Saturday dismissed the claims of MURIC.

While puncturing the claims of MURIC, NNPC LTD in the statement noted that the pricing of petroleum products from any refinery, including the Dangote Refinery Ltd. (DRL), is determined by global market forces.

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The company thefore noted that recent changes in PMS prices have no impact on the DRL or any other domestic refinery’s access to the Nigerian market.

“In fact, if current prices perceived as high, it presents an ideal opportunity for the refinery to sell its products at lower prices in the Nigerian market.

“Furthermore, we emphasize that there is no guarantee of lower prices associated with domestic refining compared to any global parity pricing framework, as confirmed by the DRL.

“The NNPC Ltd. will only fully offtake PMS from the DRL if the market prices of PMS are higher than the pump prices in Nigeria.

“The DRL and any other domestic refinery are free to sell directly to any marketer on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, which is the current practice for all fully deregulated products.

“NNPC Ltd. has no desire or intention to become the distributor for any entity in a free market environment, and therefore, the notion of becoming a sole offtaker does not arise.

“The NNPC Ltd. cannot undermine a business in which it holds a billion-dollar stake.

“As an advocacy group for fair and just treatment, MURIC should have verified the facts before making statements that are entirely flawed and has the potential to incite ordinary Nigerians against the NNPC Ltd.”

Dangote Refinery can sell petrol to any marketer – NNPC

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Forex: CBN sells $20,000 to each BDC at N1,580/$

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Forex: CBN sells $20,000 to each BDC at N1,580/$

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced plans to inject more liquidity into the foreign exchange market by approving the sale of US$20,000 to each eligible Bureau De Change (BDC) operator.

This move is aimed at meeting the growing demand for foreign exchange in the retail market, particularly for invisible transactions.

In a circular issued on September 6, 2024, and signed by Dr. W.J. Kanya, Acting Director of the CBN’s Trade and Exchange Department, the bank stated that eligible BDC operators would purchase the foreign currency at the rate of N1,580 per US dollar.

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The BDCs are permitted to sell the forex to end-users at a margin not exceeding 1% above the purchase rate.

To facilitate the process, the bank said eligible BDCs must make Naira payments into designated CBN deposit accounts and submit the required documentation at the appropriate CBN branches in Abuja, Awka, Kano, and Lagos for the collection of the approved $20,000.

This measure is part of CBN’s ongoing efforts to stabilize the forex market and meet demand for invisible transactions such as payment for personal travel, medical bills, and school fees.

Forex: CBN sells $20,000 to each BDC at N1,580/$

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Naira falls by N34 to dollar in 24hrs

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Naira falls by N34 to dollar in 24hrs

The Nigerian currency, Naira, has plummeted to an unprecedented low, trading at a staggering N1,639.41 per dollar at the official market on Thursday.

This marks a sharp decline from the previous day’s rate of N1,606, reflecting a dramatic loss of N34.

In a parallel trend, the black market also saw the naira fall, with the exchange rate reaching N1,645 per dollar, down from N1,640.

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The worsening exchange rates signal deepening economic challenges and growing concerns over the stability of the national currency.

As the naira continues its downward spiral, analysts and market watchers are closely monitoring the situation, with implications for both the economy and daily lives of Nigerians.

Naira falls by N34 to dollar in 24hrs

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