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Naira Under Pressure, Nigeria May Seek Dollar Loan – IMF
The International Monetary Fund has said the naira is currently under pressure and Nigeria is free to seek loan from the Fund to stabilise the currency if it considers a good option.
The Washington-based lender however noted that recent exchange reforms and other steps taken by the Nigerian authorities were in order.
It also expressed support for Olayemi Cardoso-led Central Bank of Nigeria’s last week’s decision to halt the eight-year foreign exchange ban on cement, rice, poultry products and 40 other items. The past administration of the CBN had imposed the forex ban in 2015.
They made this known at the World Bank Group/International Monetary Fund Meeting in Marrakech, Morocco.
IMF said inflation in Nigeria was still high at 26 per cent in August while the naira continued to be under pressure.
The local currency, which fell from about 450/dollar to an average of 760/dollar following the exchange reforms of the President Bola Tinubu, has continued to drop at the parallel market.
The local currency plunged to 1045/dollar on Thursday.
While reiterating the need to tighten monetary policy by raising the Monetary Policy Rate and mopping up excess naira liquidity, the bank said foreign exchange market confidence could benefit from more clarity on Central Bank of Nigeria dollar obligations.
A JP Morgan report put the Central Bank of Nigeria forward contract obligations at $6.8bn but stakeholders said the amount could be more.
In a response to emailed questions by The PUNCH on whether the Fund is open to giving Nigeria a dollar loan to support the naira, the Fund said, ‘Nigeria is facing high inflation of 26 percent year-on-year in August and pressure on the naira. In June, the authorities unified the different official exchange rate windows. This was a welcome step as will help to strengthen the functioning of the foreign exchange market. We also welcome the CBN’s recent decision to lift the ban on the 43 items previously restricted from accessing foreign exchange from the official window. This is a positive step in the direction of a shift to a market-determined exchange rate regime.”
It further stated that “the authorities should urgently tighten monetary policy and take measures to ensure markets maintain full confidence in the Central Bank of Nigeria. Tightening monetary policy will have to include raising the Monetary Policy Rate and mopping up excess naira liquidity. Market confidence will benefit from more clarity on Central Bank of Nigeria dollar obligations.”
On the possibility of a currency support loan, it said, “As every member country of the IMF, Nigeria can seek IMF financing if they see this as helpful to address external imbalances. The Nigerian authorities have not approached the IMF with a request for financing.”
Meanwhile, the IMF has said it is confident the new CBN governor, Cardoso, and the new Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, have the capacity to take right decisions to boost the fortunes of the economy.
Edun had during the World Bank/IMF meeting listed a number of fiscal initiatives aimed at collecting more tax revenue and reducing waivers to boost economic growth.
Also, Cardoso had listed plans to stabilise the market and navigate the country through the current turbulent economic challenges.
The CBN governor said the new leadership team would review foreign exchange market policies, the central bank corporate governance practices and monetary policies to reposition the apex bank to achieve its core mandates.
Already, he said the new team members, who resumed fully at the bank a few weeks ago following their confirmation by the National Assembly, was currently carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the challenges facing the central bank.
According to him, the ongoing assessment of the bank will lead to tweaking or jettisoning of some policies as part of a wide-ranging programme to reform the bank as a catalyst for economic growth and development.
In a document titled, “Preliminary assessment of challenges facing the Central Bank of Nigeria”, Cardoso outlined the challenges facing the CBN and introduced high-level proposals aimed at addressing reformation challenges.
He also examined the role of a refocused central bank in supporting the economic agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
He also harped on what should be put in place to revert to evidence-based monetary policies, including the discontinuation of unorthodox monetary policies and foreign currency management, unorthodox use of Ways and Means spending, and development of control limits in the use of Ways and Means in financing public sector deficit.On the backlog of FX demand, Cardoso emphasised the need for creative financing options for clearing the short to medium-term backlog.
The new central governor also plans to place a limit on the CBN’s fiscal side interventions, while also proposing responses to addressing inflation and price stability issues.
Cardoso said, “These problem statements need in-depth review by the new Central Bank leadership team to determine what mechanisms are currently working, what can be tweaked or dispensed with and what new tools need to be introduced”
On how the CBN can be refocused to support economic growth, he said, “The economic policy proposals of the administration identify a set of fiscal reforms and growth targets that will achieve $1tn GDP within eight years.
In reviewing selected BRICS and MINT countries, with large populations and similar developmental characteristics as Nigeria, it is interesting to identify macro-economic indices that point to Nigeria’s economic trajectory, given the faithful implementation of the proposed economic reforms. In economies bigger than $1tn, these indicators include moderate inflation, sizable foreign reserves, and the capacity to quickly rebound from a cyclical economic downturn.”
The Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN has warned against obstructing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from carrying out its lawful duty .
Fagbemi’s warning is contained in a statement in Abuja.
“This is a matter of very grave concern, it is now beyond doubt that the EFCC is given power by the law to invite any person of interest to interact with them in the course of their investigations into any matter, regardless of status.
“Therefore, the least that we can all do when invited, is not to put any obstruction in the way of EFCC, but to honourably answer their invitation.
“A situation where public officials who are themselves subject of protection by law enforcement agents will set up a stratagem of obstruction to the civil and commendable efforts of the EFCC to perform its duty is to say the least, insufferably disquieting’’.
He added that running away from the law will not resolve issues at stake but only exacerbate them.
“Nigeria has a vibrant judicial system that is capable of protecting everyone who follows the rule of law in seeking protection.
“I therefore encourage anyone who has been invited by the EFCC or any other agency to immediately toe the path of decency and civility by honouring such invitation instead of embarking on a temporising self-help and escapism.
“This can only put our country in bad light before the rest of the world’’.
He said institutions of state should be allowed to function effectively and efficiently.
“I stand for the rule of law and will promptly call EFCC, and indeed any other agency to order when there is an indication of any transgressions of the fundamental rights of any Nigerian by any of the agencies’’.
NAN reports that the EFCC had on Wednesday warned members of the public that it was a criminal offence to obstruct officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties.
Section 38(2)(a(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act makes it an offence to prevent officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties. Culprits risk a jail term of not less than five years.
The warning , the EFCC said, became necessary against the background of the increasing tendency by persons and groups under investigation by the Commission to take the laws into their hands by recruiting thugs to obstruct lawful operations of the EFCC.
On several occasions, the anti graft agency said, operatives of the Commission have had to exercise utmost restraint in the face of such provocation to avoid a breakdown of law and order.
Some unknown gunmen have kidnapped Joshua Rogers, the ChannelsTV reporter in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Politics Nigeria learnt that Rogers was picked up close to his residence at Rumuosi in Port Harcourt and to an unknown destination by the gunmen around 9pm on Thursday, April 11.
The reporter was driving his official ChannelsTV branded car when the hoodlums accosted, pointed a gun at him and took him away in the same vehicle.
Rogers was said to be returning from his official assignment in Government House after a trip to Andoni for a government event when the incident happened.
Already, the gunmen were said to have contacted his wife and demanded a N30million ransom for bis release.
His cameraman confirmed the incident and appealed to his abductors to set him free unconditionally.
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