The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), concluded the payment of all verified claims of forex backlog by foreign airlines.
This followed the payment of $64.44 million additional payment.
Confirming the development on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, the Acting Director of Corporate Communications at the CBN, Mrs. Hakama Sidi Ali, noted that the latest amount paid to the airlines brought the total verified amount paid to that sector to $136.73 million. She added that all the verified airline claims had now been cleared.
According to her, the Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, and his team were doubly committed and would stop at nothing to ensure that the verified backlog of payments across all other sectors was cleared and confidence was restored in the Nigerian foreign exchange market.
Furthermore, she assured that the CBN was working with stakeholders to ensure liquidity improves within the forex market, thereby reducing pressure on the Naira.
While expressing optimism that the market would respond positively with the latest injection of over $64 million, she admonished actors in the foreign exchange market to guard against speculation as such actions could hurt the Naira.
In a related development, the CBN on Monday released $500 million to clear backlogs in various sectors.
This comes barely a week after the Bank paid approximately US $2.0 billion to settle outstanding commitments across manufacturing, aviation, and petroleum sectors.
The Acting Director of the Corporate Communications Department at the CBN, Mrs. Hakama Sidi Ali, said the CBN had begun implementing a comprehensive strategy to improve liquidity in the Nigerian foreign exchange markets in the short, medium, and long term.
“As the Governor said, the CBN’s focus is on addressing fundamental issues that have hindered the effective operation of the Nigerian FX markets over the years,” she added.
While noting that the forex market reforms were designed to streamline and unify multiple exchange rates, foster transparency, and reduce arbitrage opportunities, Sidi Ali expressed confidence that a stable exchange rate would boost investor confidence and attract foreign investment.
She, therefore, urged all participants in the market to play by the rules, stressing that transparency in the market would enable the fair determination of exchange rates and, by extension, guarantee stability for businesses and individuals alike.
It will be recalled that the CBN, over the past few months, has released various sums in its effort to clear the backlog of foreign exchange liabilities.
