Some foreign exchange street traders have started rejecting new offer for dollar purchase as banks have started opening forex sales point at the airport and branches. Street traders said they are not willing to buy dollars at the current unofficial market rate as there are indications that the rate will go further down. Some are already counting their loses.
Meanwhile Zenith Bank and others have started advising their customers to purchase Business and Personal Travel allowance at the Muritala Mohammed Airport and at any of their branches.
Zenith Bank in a note to customers said
“You can now purchase Business Travel and Personal Travel Allowances from all Zenith Bank branch nation wide, including our Muritala Mohammed Airport Lagos Branch located at arrival hall. BTA/PTA can be collected as cash or loaded on cards”.
It will be recalled that the CBN in continuation of its resolve to ease the challenge of access to foreign exchange, on March 7, 2017 further injected another sum of $100million into the interbank foreign exchange market.
The Bank’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, confirmed this to newsmen in Abuja, adding that the move by the Bank was to fund the commercial banks with enough forex to cater for the request of customers to meet personal travelling allowance (PTA), basic travelling allowance (BTA), medicals and tuition fees.
This fresh injection by the apex bank brings the amount so far pumped into the interbank forex market within the last two weeks to $1,138m for both forwards and invisibles.
Commending the move, market analysts observe that it will further create problems for currency speculators who are yet to recover from the sudden appreciation of the Naira. According to the former economic adviser to the President and Minister, National Planning Commission, Professor Ode Ojowu, “It appears this time around, the CBN has decided to become smarter than the market manipulators, by putting on its cap of authority to look beneath the market forces”
It will be recalled that the CBN, in February 2017, changed its forex rule supply to guarantee supply to both small and the big end-users. The policy has restored stability and bolstered market confidence which has ultimately boosted the value of the Naira.
Analysts have also commended the efforts of the CBN in ensuring the continuous appreciation of the naira. This they attributed to good policy and effective communication strategy, which has witnessed increased dollar supply to the market.
