The naira sustained its decline on the parallel market as it slipped to N445 to the dollar yesterday, lower than the N440 to the dollar it closed on Friday as pressure and activities of speculators continued to hurt the nation’s currency.
But on the interbank FX market, the spot rate of the naira depreciated marginally to N308 to the dollar, as against the N307.79 to the dollar it closed last Friday.
The President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Mr. Aminu Gwadabe, argued that the current rate of the naira on the parallel market was not a true reflection of the value of the currency. He also attributed the development to the activities of speculators.
According to him, the situation in the parallel market was being driven by speculators taking advantage of the poor implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy requiring banks to sell dollars to bureau de change (BDC) operators.
Some currency traders also said the demand from parents buying dollars to pay school fees abroad was exerting pressure on the FX market.
To analysts at CSL Stockbrokers Limited, the effects of low oil prices and production disruptions are having significant impact on dollar receipts by the country.
