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CBN Market Restriction Boosts Naira

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16 years ago

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The moves by Mr Sanusi Lamido, the new governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to address the nation’s economic problems have started yielding fruitful result as the naira gained rapidly from N180 per dollar to N50. This is a good development that would move economy forward but certain measures should be put in place to grow the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.

Sanusi, during the week, had removed the restriction placed in the market by his predecessor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, to limit the movement of the dollar from the CBN to authorised foreign exchange (forex) dealers and within the banking industry.

During his maiden address in Abuja recently, Sanusi announced the reintroduction of wholesale Dutch Auction System (DWAS) with unfettered access to CBN dollar by the Bureau de Change operators in order to stimulate activities in the interbank and stabilise the foreign exchange market.

Banks were also allowed to trade their dollars bought from the CBN at the interbank market. The apex bank also said that the foreign exchange. Net Open Position (NOP) of banks has been increased from 2.5 per cent to five per cent of shareholders’ funds with effect from July 13, 2009.

CBN governor said that “All Class ‘B’ BDC’s hitherto banned from the official market could now participate directly in the CBN window but only those with valid licences are eligible and they were required to make a caution deposit of $20,000 each, Class ‘A’ BDC’s capital were also reduced from N500 million to N250 million through allocation of foreign exchange now differ in magnitude between Class ‘A’ and ‘B’ BDcs given the different levels of capitalization.

These major decisions taken by the CBN had led to an increase in the level of confidence reposed in the apex bank by the market operators. As a result, many speculators were forced to off-load their stock of dollar in order to reduce their future loss. Many BDC’s that were hitherto finding it difficult to get dollar in the market also enjoy some sense of relief and exchange rate at the parallel market moved down ward.

Again, government should control fiscal spending to ensure that there is no excess money in circulation.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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3 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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3 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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