Economy
Peter Obi Fumes as CBN Hikes Cargo Clearing Rate to N1,605/$1
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has once again increased the exchange rate for customs cargo clearance by 9 per cent or N133.06 from N1,472.76/$1 to N1,605.82/$1.
The new rate, which has already been reflected on the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) portal, will further dampen the hope of importers, and trigger an increase in the price of imported products like food, fuel, spare parts, and phones, among others.
The CBN had recently reduced the exchange rate from N1,515.48/$1 to N1,472.756/$1 after the market eased following some recent policy steps.
This review will be the 12th since the foreign exchange (FX) market was floated in June last year to allow the Naira to trade freely as dictated by the whims of supply and demand.
On June 24, 2023, the CBN adjusted the exchange rate from N422.30/$ to N589/$, and on July 6, 2023, it was adjusted to N770.88/$. On November 14, 2023, it was adjusted to N783.174/$, and in December 2023, it was adjusted to N951.941/$.
Also, on February 2, 2024, it was moved to N1,356.883/$ and on February 3, it was raised to N1,413.62/$ before it was on Saturday, February 10 changed to N1,417.635/$.
On Monday, February 11, it was moved to N1,444.56/$1 and on Wednesday, February 14, the CBN adjusted the exchange rate to N1481.482/$1 and then adjusted it to N1,515.092/$1 on Thursday, February 15.
The House of Representatives decried the regular adjustments to the import duties rates, calling for its reduction and on Friday, February 16, 2024, the CBN reduced the rate to N1,472.756/$1 before hiking it again on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, to N1,605.82/$1.
The move has garnered reactions from many political actors, including the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, who charged the federal government to stop the arbitrary and ever-increasing customs duties as it is now negatively impacting businesses and the cost of items, and this portends a huge danger to the economy.
The businessman, who contested in the 2023 general elections, said, “Such arbitrary charges will obviously lead to further closure of businesses, and attendant job losses. This is because at the time of the initiation of the business, calculations, including duties, have been made based on the prevailing exchange rate, and the prevailing market prices.”
“If this situation is not corrected, our importers may resort to using ports of nearby countries, a situation that will leave our ports under-productive, and further deepen our economy into a worse situation as a result of loss of revenue,” he warned in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He pleaded with the government to show consistency in its policies as this will help with economic forecasting and business planning, adding that saving businesses should be a top priority.
“All efforts of the government should be directed at supporting businesses, especially those in the manufacturing sector, to keep their businesses afloat and keep the economy growing, as the small business sector remains the most critical engine of economic growth.
“We cannot afford to target high customs revenues at the expense of the survival of local businesses, employment and reasonable cost of living,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 1.13 per cent on Wednesday, April 29, after its share price shrank by N5.06 to N71.99 per unit from N77.05 per unit.
As a result, the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) went below the 4,000 mark after it lost 45.73 points to 3,999.23 points from 4,044.96 points. The market capitalisation declined by N27.36 billion during the session to N2.392 trillion from N2.420 trillion.
Midweek trading data showed that the volume of transactions slid by 76.2 per cent to 308,698 units from 1.3 million units, and the value of trades decreased by 7.1 per cent to N25.2 million from N27.1 million units, while the number of deals rose by 3.7 per cent to 28 deals from 27 deals.
At the close of business, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with the sale of 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.9 million units exchanged for N4.1 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units traded for N1.9 billion.
GNI Plc also finished as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with a turnover of 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units sold for N1.2 billion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira was able to tame the pressure building at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Wednesday, April 29, after it gained N1.25 or 0.1 per cent against the United States Dollar to close at N1,379.46/$1 compared with the previous day’s N1,380.71/$1.
Also, the outcome was the same against the Pound Sterling in the same window, as it added N2.18 to trade at N1,861.58/£1 versus Tuesday’s closing rate of N1,863.76/£1, and against the Euro, it appreciated by N2.14 to settle at N1,612.87/€1 versus N1,615.01/€1.
However, the Naira depreciated further against the Dollar at the GTBank forex counter by N10 to quote at N1,389/$1 compared with the preceding session’s N1,379/$1, and at the parallel market, it maintained stability yesterday at N1,390/$1.
The improvement witnessed across official market points to NFEM interbank turnover increasing sharply on Wednesday, with data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showing $249.905 million in transactions among institutions across 180 deals.
This indicates improved market liquidity and greater market confidence, leading to tighter bid-ask spreads across all foreign exchange deals.
Market analysts noted that improved liquidity and growing investor confidence now allow the market to function more independently.
Meanwhile, in the cryptocurrency market, Bitcoin (BTC) and major benchmarked cryptocurrencies fell as Brent crude surged to a four-year intraday high on renewed fears of US military escalation against Iran.
The jump in oil prices reflects a growing war premium tied to the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz and expectations that hypersonic US weapons could be deployed in the region.
Analysts say BTC is unlikely to break above $80,000 unless Middle East tensions ease. Its value shrank by 1.5 per cent to $75,931.00.
In addition, Ethereum (ETH) slipped by 3.2 per cent to $2,254.51, Solana (SOL) depreciated by 1.9 per cent to $83.11, Ripple (XRP) lost 1.6 per cent to sell at $1.37, Binance Coin (BNB) dipped by 1.5 per cent to $616.58, and Cardano (ADA) dropped by 1.4 per cent to $0.2463.
But Dogecoin (DOGE) rose by 1.9 per cent to $0.1062 and TRON (TRX) appreciated by 0.5 per cent to $0.3242, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) were unchanged at $1.00 each.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited rallied by 3.77 per cent on Wednesday on the back of sustained bargain-hunting in equities with sound fundamentals.
The growth reported by Nigerian stocks at midweek raised the year-to-date return above 50 per cent, precisely at 52.43 per cent.
According to data, only the insurance sector ended in red after it shed 1.01 per cent at the close of business.
The industrial goods index appreciated by 6.14 per cent, the energy segment grew by 4.54 per cent, the banking counter expanded by 1.92 per cent, and the consumer goods industry rose by 1.01 per cent.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) went up by 8,465.40 points to 237,205.59 points from 228,740.19 points, and the market capitalisation increased by N5.450 trillion to N152.728 trillion from N147.278 trillion.
The quartet of UAC Nigeria, Zichis, CAP, and Airtel Africa gained 10.00 per cent each to sell for N165.00, N19.80, N132.00, and N3,021.30, respectively, and Jaiz Bank surged by 9.99 per cent to N8.81.
On the flip side, the duo of John Holt and Cadbury Nigeria lost 10.00 per cent each to trade at N12.60 and N66.15, respectively, as eTranzact shed 9.97 per cent to close at N15.80, Morison Industries slipped by 9.92 per cent to N10.62, and Haldane McCall shrank by 9.74 per cent to N3.43.
The busiest stock for the day was Access Holdings with 281.3 million units worth N7.3 billion, UBA transacted 160.6 million units valued at N7.0 billion, Lasaco Assurance traded 78.6 million units for N153.6 million, Wema Bank sold 65.7 million units worth N2.3 billion, and Morison Industries exchanged 65.0 million units valued at N690.3 million.
At the close of trades, investors bought and sold 1.3 billion equities for N69.1 billion in 83,445 deals versus the 908.0 million units worth N68.2 billion in 72,886 deals on Tuesday.
This showed that the trading volume, value, and number of deals increased yesterday by 43.17 per cent, 1.32 per cent, and 14.49 per cent, respectively.
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