Economy
ABCON Raises Alarm Over Forex Supply Shortage from CBN
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has lamented over the foreign exchange (forex) crisis facing the country, saying that supply from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reduced drastically.
The association’s president, Mr Aminu Gwadabe, made this disclosure during a recent interview on Channels Television.
He noted that the forex crisis was as a result of massive speculation, hoarding and panic buying, which have put the local currency under serious pressure.
He complained that about $3 billion was waiting to be wired offshore by investors should the pandemic disappear and economic activities resume fully.
He lamented that a lot of Nigerians have lost confidence in the value of the Naira and are currently in a panic-buying mood.
‘‘Most Nigerians have overnight suddenly become Bureau De Change operators with many exchanging their Naira for Dollars, believing that the Naira could be devalued anytime soon.
“Another troubling aspect is that some SMEs have shut down their businesses and exchanged the proceeds for Dollars and now trading in currency exchange,” he alerted.
He warned that this remained an unhealthy development for the economy because such actions were putting undue pressure on the Naira.
He explained that various financial forecast of the economy predicted that diaspora remittances would be down by 20 percent, adding that investors are checking out while crude oil prices are also at an all-time low.
He said despite the coronavirus pandemic, which has slowed down economic activities, Nigerians were still in need of foreign exchange to pay for their wards schools fees and upkeep abroad while others need same for medical bills.
He said the lack of diaspora inflow into the economy and the suspensions of inbound international flights have all combined to limit the sources of forex for BDC operators.
The ABCON boss warned against the disparity in the country’s exchange rate, saying no country can afford to fold its arms and watch its currency slide into a massive free fall.
He noted that there cannot be a different rate for the same product, saying the way to go remains a unification of the country’s exchange rates in order to move from price volatility to price stability if the economy is to be prevented from total collapse.
‘‘There have been a lot of criticisms against the multiplicity of the country’s exchange rate regime. Government and all those concerned must work to remove all the barriers hindering the attainment of a unified exchange rate figures.
“There are a lot of questions about distortions, transparency and resource allocations. But if all the rates are unified, all these cynicism about the exchange rate will be automatically removed, thereby shutting the doors against rent-seekers who thrive on hoarding and speculative buying of currencies.
Mr Gwadabe also kicked against the activities of rent-seekers in the forex market, saying their continued presence willing bring about serious danger because they are not adding value to the economy.
The ABCON boss charged the government and its regulatory agencies to look at a change in methods, saying forex inflow may not happen anytime soon because every country and investors are hoarding same due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He challenged the government to think outside the box and look towards other sources of foreign exchange inflow, especially the Diaspora remittances.
‘‘This is a creative destruction period. We need to look into our Diaspora remittances. What are the challenges? Why are we not receiving the exact $29 billion Diaspora Remittance into the economy per annum which is far more than the receipt from crude oil per annum.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian government is planning to offer tax incentives to firms investing in key sectors such as agriculture and energy to boost projected growth.
This is part of a new scheme known as the Economic Development Incentive (EDI), which will address long-standing inefficiencies in the current Pioneer Status Incentive (PSI).
The proposed investment-driven incentive framework is designed to stimulate real economic activity by tying tax relief directly to verifiable investments and part of the country’s ongoing tax reform efforts.
The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this in a keynote address at BusinessDay’s Policy Intervention Series held on Tuesday, April 22 in Lagos.
He said a review of the PSI revealed structural flaws that have undermined its effectiveness.
“Once granted a pioneer status, companies may import goods classified as pioneer products tax-free, effectively allowing them to operate without tax obligations—even with minimal value addition to the economy,” he said.
The incentives will mainly be in the form of a multiyear tax credit that companies can use to reduce what they owe the government, Mr Oyedele further explained.
He said investments in sectors including agriculture, energy and manufacturing will enjoy the tax credit based on a prescribed minimum amount of investment for a period ranging from 10 to 20 years.
Mr Oyedele also reiterated that the country has initiated reforms to boost tax revenue as a share of gross domestic product to 18 per cent by 2027 from 13.6 per cent in 2024, adding these proposals seek to drive growth in priority sectors of the economy.
Also, investors in utility projects like power, waterways and ports will have to invest at least N200 billion to qualify for the tax credit.
He explained that if a company invests N10 billion in Year 1, it earns a N500 million tax credit each year for five years and if an additional N5 billion is invested in Year 2, that new investment begins its own five-year 5 per cent cycle—N250 million annually until Year 6 and if the company continues investing progressively, each round of investment starts a new five-year cycle of tax credits, potentially extending the benefit period up to 10 years.
The tax maven further stated that if a business has a N15 million tax liability in a given year and applies N25 million in tax credits, its liability is wiped out entirely, with the N10 million balance rolled over to subsequent years and that if a company fails to follow through on its investment plan or halts capital deployment, unused credits are forfeited and this accountability mechanism ensures that only consistent and credible investments are rewarded.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange slid by 0.35 per cent on Tuesday, April 22 after the return from the Easter break, with the market capitalisation falling by N6.79 billion to N1.917 trillion from the N1.924 trillion recorded last Thursday, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) declining by 11.60 points to 3,274.78 points from the previous session’s 3,286.38 points.
Yesterday, the share price of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc went down by 60 Kobo to close at N21.50 per unit versus the preceding session’s N22.10 per unit and Geo-Fluids Plc lost 18 Kobo to end at N1.62 per share, in contrast to last Thursday’s N1.80 per share.
On the flip side, the price of FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc appreciated by 16 Kobo to quote at N37.80 per unit versus the previous trading day’s N37.64 per unit.
During the session, there was a 40.5 per cent increase in the volume of securities transacted to 174,634 units from the 124,266 units traded in the previous trading day, but the value of transactions slumped by 43.9 per cent to N2.86 million from N5.1 million, and the number of deals dropped by 48.4 per cent to 16 deals from 31 deals.
At the close of business, Impresit Bakolori Plc remained the most active stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with a turnover of 533.9 million units worth N520.9 million, followed by Okitipupa Plc with the sale of 153.6 million units for N4.9 billion, and Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc with 71.2 million units valued at N24.2 million.
Also, Okitipupa Plc remained the most valued stock on a year-to-date with the sale of 153.6 million valued at N4.9 billion, trailed by FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc with a turnover of 14.8 million units worth N572.0 million and Impresit Bakolori Plc with a turnover of 533.9 million units sold for N520.9 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
It was a bad day for the Naira on Tuesday, April 22 as its value plummeted against the United States Dollar by N3.23 or 0.2 per cent at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM).
It was the first trading session in the official market after the long Easter Break which started last Friday.
The Nigerian Naira was exchanged with the greenback yesterday at N1,603.16/$1, in contrast to the preceding trading day’s rate of N1,599.93/$1.
However, the local currency closed flat against the Pound Sterling and the Euro in the spot market at N2,120.24/£1 and N1,817.69/€1, respectively.
At the parallel market, the Naira appreciated against the US Dollar during the session by N10 to sell for N1,610/$1 compared with the previous trading session’s N1,620/$1.
In the cryptocurrency market, most of the tokens improved on Tuesday, buoyed by renewed investor optimism and fresh hopes of an ease in US-China trade tensions.
Earlier on Tuesday, remarks from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who reportedly told investors at a closed-door JPMorgan event that the tariff standoff with China was unsustainable.
Mr Bessent said de-escalation would come “in the very near future,” characterizing current conditions as a “trade embargo.” However, he cautioned that a more comprehensive deal between the two nations could take even years.
Then President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters in the White House later, said that US tariffs on China “will come down substantially” from the current 145 per cent level, allaying concerns of a spiraling trade war.
Ethereum (ETH) jumped by 10.6 per cent to $1,784.93, Dogecoin (DOGE) appreciated by 10.3 per cent to $0.1812, Cardano (ADA) added 9.9 per cent to trade at $0.6971, and Solana (SOL) gained 7.9 per cent to close at $151.25.
Further, Ripple (XRP) grew by 7.5 per cent to $2.25, Bitcoin (BTC) expanded by 6.2 per cent to $93,822.95, Litecoin (LTC) increased by 5.8 per cent to $84.22, and Binance Coin (BNB) went up by 2.3 per cent to $617.20, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) sold flat at $1.00 each.
-
Feature/OPED5 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism9 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz2 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking7 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy2 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking2 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports2 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn
-
Technology4 years agoHow To Link Your MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile Lines to NIN