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Economy

Despite FG’s Clampdown: Dollar Hits N1,900; Pound, N2,250

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The naira Tuesday slid further at the parallel market in spite of the clampdown the federal government ordered on foreign exchange market speculators.

Bureau De Change (BDC) hubs were raided in Abuja, Lagos and Kano and some operators were arrested.

Despite the raids, however, the naira plunged further with a dollar exchanging for 1,900 in Abuja and Kano, and N1,800 in Lagos; while the British Pound was exchanged for N2,250.

However, at the official market, the naira recorded a marginal gain closing at N1,551.24 as against the earlier N1,574.62, according to the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM).

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NSA’s clampdown
Daily Trust reports that the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had earlier yesterday directed operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to clamp down on forex market speculators.

This, he said, was a concerted effort to safeguard Nigeria’s foreign exchange market and combat the activities of speculators, both domestic and international, operating through various channels.

Ribadu, in a statement by Zakari Mijinyawa, Head, Strategic Communications in the Office of the NSA, said the office had to wade in at this time because some individuals and organisations had continued to undermine proactive measures of the Central Bank of Nigeria to stabilise the foreign exchange market and stimulate economic activities.

But some experts who spoke to Daily Trust described the move as faulty, saying there are better ways to address the volatility.

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The statement from Ribadu said, “The CBN’s proactive measures to stabilize the foreign exchange market and stimulate economic activities have been commendable.

“However, the effectiveness of these initiatives is being undermined by the activities of speculators, both domestic and international, operating through various channels, thereby exacerbating the depreciation of the Nigerian Naira and contributing to inflation and economic instability.

“To reduce the pressure on the naira, the EFCC raised a 7,000-man special task force across its 14 zonal commands to clamp down on dollar racketeers.

“Yet, recent intelligence reports have highlighted continued illicit activities within the Nigerian foreign exchange market. The ONSA and CBN are therefore embarking on this collaborative approach to tackle these infractions.

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“This partnership will involve a coordinated effort with key law enforcement agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the EFCC, the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

“The primary objective of this alliance is to systematically identify, thoroughly investigate and appropriately penalize individuals and organizations involved in wrongful activities within the FX market,” the official said.

The NSA said by leveraging the expertise of those four security agencies, the government aimed at deterring what he described as “malicious practices”, in order to protect investors’ interests and promote sustainable economic growth.

Acting on the NSA’s directive, the security operatives swooped on the streets of Lagos, Abuja and Kano yesterday to raid unlicensed BDC operators.

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At the popular Allen Avenue in Lagos, about five BDC operators were reportedly arrested when the EFCC operatives stormed the area around 10am.

Many of the unlicensed operators transacting by the road fled on sighting the security operatives.

An operator said: “They came to our place today; they said we are the ones responsible for the hike in foreign exchange. All of us had to take to our heels for fear of arrest.”

Another said five of his colleagues were arrested during the raid, adding, “Many of us have run away now and we are monitoring the situation.”

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Dollar sells for N1,870 in Kano
A dollar was exchanged for N1,870 at the popular Wapa Bureau de Change market on Tuesday.

An operator, Ammar Aminu, said though no EFCC operative visited the market for a clampdown on forex speculators, the price of the dollar kept going up.

He said, “Today, the dollar has risen to N1,870 from N1,750 it was sold on Monday.”

Normal trading activities were ongoing when our correspondent visited the area.

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Bureau De Change operators in Abuja confirmed that EFCC operatives raided the popular Zone 4 business area.

Some of the operators, who spoke to Daily Trust, said the operatives came in their numbers on Monday.

A BDC operator, Gidado Muktar, said: “We were just on our own when we saw operatives of the EFCC in their numbers in over three Hilux vans storm our vicinity at Zone 4 and the next thing we saw was that they started arresting some of our members. They put them in their vans and drove off.

“What I was told later was that they were acting on a tipoff that some people were hoarding dollars and that was why they came and effected arrests.”

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Another operator, Mustapha Ibrahim said: “The way and manner the EFCC came was shocking; as if the BDCs were the ones responsible for the naira’s fall.”

Raid not way to go – Economist
An economist, Dr Oluseye Ajuwon, in an interview with Daily Trust yesterday, said clamping down on BDC operators was not the solution to the foreign exchange crisis.

Ajuwon, a lecturer at the Department of Economics, University of Lagos, said the raid was like compounding the problem.

“There are some kinds of forex demands that you cannot go to banks to do. You have to resort to all these BDCs. The way they (the government) are going about it now is like pushing them into a darker place.

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“The implication of that is that it would now become more expensive. I don’t see it solving any problem. Rather, it would compound the problem.

“What will create hoarding is if there is scarcity. If you can’t remove scarcity, there will be hoarding. If we really want to solve the problem, just remove the scarcity.

“Everything they (government) are doing now is a short-time measure. What they are doing now is trial and error and the way they are going about it is wrong.”

‘How to stabilize forex market’
An Abuja-based think tank, Agora Policy, in a report titled ‘Steadying Nigeria’s Fledgling Foreign Exchange Reform’, through its financial analyst, Wale Thompson, said it was high time the government embraced a new policy to stabilise the market.

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According to the analyst, mere FX adjustments to adapt to reality “may lead to short-lived gains, followed by a return to previous practices.”

He said, “To avoid this cycle, forex and monetary policies should be part of a comprehensive economic plan where the exchange rate serves as a tool for export diversification and for attracting capital flows to foster overall development. Successful fixed-to-floating transitions are characterized by certain key features.

“The long-stated objective of Nigeria’s policymakers is to diversify its export base which, given Nigeria’s labour abundance, distils to ensuring that industrial activity is geared towards the production of exportable goods that use a lot of low-skilled labour that is abundant in Nigeria.

“To ensure export competitiveness of these non-oil exports, exchange rate policies must look to deliver an extra layer of competitiveness to export prices in a form that favours domestic industries,” the analyst added.

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NACCIMA wants dollar pegged at N850
The President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dele Kelvin Oye, in separate letters to the CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite, yesterday, urged that the dollar be pegged at between N750 and N850 from March 21.

In the letter to Cardoso titled ‘NACCIMA’s Suggestions for Addressing the Continuous Depreciation of our Currency,” Oye called for enforcement of currency regulations, transparent communication, official transactions, remittance oversight as well as monitoring and compliance.

He asked the CBN to also enforce stricter regulations on currency transactions, including hefty fines, prosecution of breach of laws and confiscation of funds involved in transactions that violate a specified exchange rate band, such as the 15 per cent maximum difference from the official rate.

“The government should consistently communicate its policy intentions and economic measures to the public to strengthen confidence in the nation’s economic management.

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“All government agencies, at every level, should be mandated to conduct their transactions at the official rate, and severe penalties should be imposed for violations,” he said.

See us as partners – BDC operators
The Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), while speaking on the raid yesterday, decried the activities of unlicensed operators who have no record of customers they were dealing with.

The president of ABCON, Aminu Gwadabe, in a chat with Daily Trust, asked the government to partner with his members to address currency volatility.

He said his members were duly licensed to transact forex business in their offices.

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“The activities of those unlicensed are what the EFCC and security agencies are not happy about. So, you can’t see a BDC outside and call him a BDC operator without an office. One of the requirements to operate as a BDC is that you must have an office.

“On our part, we are coming up with solutions that would automate the entire retail exchange where we make it simpler for even the ones that want to operate under the Bureau de Change so that their activities can be monitored because most of them are operating where the security agencies and the CBN don’t have reports of their transactions.

“So, we are putting a solution which we believe would be to the credit of the government, that can come and automate, digitize, liberalise, democratize the entire retail sector in the country,” he said.

According to him, almost all licensed operators have gone into extinction because the resources to operate are not there.

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He said through partnership with the BDC, the government can boost liquidity in the market and address the current forex hike.

(Daily Trust)

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Economy

Black Market Dollar To Naira Exchange Rate Today 8th September 2026

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Dollar To Naira Exchange Rate Today 27 January 2023(Black Market)

The Black Market Dollar-to-Naira Exchange Rate for 8th September 2026 Can Be Accessed Below.

NOTE: The exchange rate changes hourly. It depends on the volume of dollars available and the Demand. This means…you can buy or sell 1 dollar at a certain rate, and the price can change (high or low) within hours.

The official naira black market exchange rate in Nigeria today, including the Black Market rates, Bureau De Change (BDC), and CBN rates.

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The exchange rate fluctuates hourly based on the supply and demand of dollars in the market.
What’s the dollar to naira black market today, 8th September 2026?
The exchange rate for a dollar to naira at Lagos Parallel Market (Black Market) players sell a dollar for ₦1405 and buy at ₦1395 on Tuesday, 8th September, 2026, according to sources at Bureau De Change (BDC).
Please note that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not recognize the parallel market (black market), as it has directed individuals who want to engage in Forex to approach their respective banks.
Dollar to Naira Black Market Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) Black Market Exchange Rate Today
Selling Rate ₦1405
Buying Rate ₦1395
Dollar to Naira CBN Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) CBN Rate Today
Highest Rate ₦1320
Lowest Rate ₦1326

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Economy

See Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, September 7, 2026

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The dollar-to-naira exchange rate opened the new week with the naira trading at about ₦1,321.68 per US dollar at the official rate, while the parallel market rate stood at ₦1,390 per dollar for buying and ₦1,400 for selling, according to available market data.

The latest available NFEM figure for September 7 puts the official exchange rate at ₦1,321.68 to the dollar. However, the Central Bank of Nigeria’s published NFEM table shows September 4 as the latest dated trading entry, with a rate of ₦1,321.2160 per dollar. The September 7 figure should therefore be treated as the latest available indicative rate rather than a confirmed CBN trading close.

At the parallel market, Aboki Forex reported a buying rate of ₦1,390 and a selling rate of ₦1,400 per dollar. This means a person selling $1 could receive about ₦1,390, while buying $1 could cost approximately ₦1,400. Actual rates may vary by dealer, location and transaction size.

The difference between the indicative official rate and the parallel-market selling rate is about ₦78.32 per dollar. For $100, the indicative official equivalent is approximately ₦132,168, while buying $100 at the parallel-market selling rate would cost about ₦140,000.

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The naira’s performance remains closely watched by importers, businesses, travellers and Nigerians receiving or sending foreign currency. However, the parallel market is separate from the regulated official market, and the two rates should not be treated as interchangeable.

Rates can change during the day, so anyone exchanging currency should confirm the current quote with a bank, licensed Bureau de Change or trusted dealer before completing a transaction.

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Economy

FG Can’t Account For ₦33.75 Billion Cash Transfers To Vulnerable Nigerians – Auditor-General

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The Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (OAuGF) has raised concerns over ₦33.75 billion transferred to more than 3.29 million households under the Federal Government’s social intervention programme, saying auditors could not obtain sufficient records to verify that the payments reached genuine beneficiaries.

According to Punch, the finding was contained in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s 2024 Annual Report on Non-Compliance/Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government.

The audit, which examined transactions carried out by the National Cash Transfer Office in Abuja during the 2023 financial year, raised eight separate queries involving billions of naira and highlighted deficiencies in the agency’s financial controls.

According to the report, ₦33.751 billion was electronically transferred to 3,295,207 households and beneficiaries selected from the National Social Register and enrolled on the National Beneficiary Register across 35 states.

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Auditors, however, said the documentation presented for examination was insufficient to establish the identities of those who actually received the money.

The report said payment vouchers accompanying the ₦33.75 billion transactions lacked complete beneficiary information.

More importantly, auditors said they were unable to examine the Remita statement needed to compare recipients of the transfers with names contained in the government’s beneficiary registers.

The report stated, “The paid vouchers for the payments above did not contain the full details of the beneficiaries.

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“REMITA statement showing record of the beneficiaries paid as against those listed on the NSR and NBR was not presented for audit. This hindered the authentication of the payments and made it difficult to ascertain whether the beneficiaries who received the funds were genuine.

“All efforts to obtain access to the REMITA statement were obstructed and denied by NTCO accounts staff, thereby frustrating the audit process.”

Consequently, the audit flagged the possibility of payments being made to fictitious or otherwise ineligible beneficiaries, as well as the potential loss of government funds.

The Auditor-General recommended that the National Programme Manager appear before the relevant Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly to account for the expenditure and produce evidence showing that the intended beneficiaries received the funds.

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Where satisfactory evidence cannot be provided, the report recommended recovery of the affected amount and its remittance to the Treasury.

It added that the management of the NTCO did not respond to the audit query.

A separate finding questioned ₦36.744 billion paid through 215 vouchers in December 2023 without undergoing the required prepayment audit.

The transactions, which the report identified as SS, IDA and output-based payments, were processed before being examined by the Internal Audit Unit.

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“None of the paid vouchers were pre-audited or checked by the Internal Audit as required by extant regulations,” the report stated.

Instead, internal auditors reviewed the transactions after the payments had already been completed.

The Auditor-General said the procedure exposed public funds to possible misapplication or diversion and recommended that officials account for the ₦36.74 billion before the National Assembly.

Auditors also queried 101 transactions worth ₦4.616 billion after the NTCO failed to provide the corresponding paid vouchers for examination.

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The payments were made from the agency’s S&S/IDA Cash Book for various expenditures. Without the vouchers, auditors said they could not adequately scrutinise the spending, prompting another recommendation that the money be accounted for or recovered and returned to the Treasury.

Another issue involved funds released to states for the enrolment of beneficiaries without bank accounts. The report said 32 payments totalling about ₦3.09 billion were made for the exercise.

While documents relating to ₦2.74 billion disbursed to 34 states were presented, auditors said they could not account for the remaining ₦350.18 million.

Even for some of the expenditure presented for inspection, the audit found that the supporting vouchers did not sufficiently explain how the money was spent.

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Documents such as beneficiary lists, attendance registers, photographs, enrolment reports and acknowledgements from recipients were also missing.

The Auditor-General recommended recovery of the ₦350.18 million if officials could not satisfactorily account for it.

The report also scrutinised ₦393.71 million reportedly returned by nine State Cash Transfer Units after planned enrolment exercises could not be conducted.

According to the NTCO, insecurity, disasters and other circumstances prevented the affected states from carrying out the exercises, leading to the unused funds being returned to the Treasury in 2023.

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Auditors, however, said evidence confirming that the money reached the Consolidated Revenue Fund was not produced.

“No documents were presented by NCTO to confirm that the amount refunded… was credited into the CRF,” the report stated.

It said Remita inflow statements and relevant payment slips that could establish the refund were unavailable. The auditors also found no evidence showing that the affected enrolment exercises were subsequently conducted.

The Auditor-General raised another query over ₦280.42 million paid as mobilisation fees to Payment Service Providers contracted to operate platforms for transferring funds to beneficiaries.

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The sum represented a 30 per cent advance payment, but auditors said it was released without an Advance Payment Guarantee.

Questions were also raised about the procurement process used to engage the companies.

According to the report, their files contained no records of pre-qualification, bidding or technical and financial evaluation to demonstrate compliance with procurement requirements.

The audit warned of the risk of paying for unexecuted jobs and recommended recovery of the N280.42m.

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Auditors also discovered that goods worth ₦89.51 million purchased by the NTCO were not recorded in its store ledger.

The relevant payment vouchers lacked Store Receipt Vouchers and Store Issue Vouchers needed to track the movement of the items.

More significantly, the audit found that the agency’s store ledger had not been updated since 2020.

The final issue concerned ₦17.42 million spent on diesel through cash advances issued to members of staff.

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Auditors faulted the arrangement, saying purchases exceeding the ₦200,000 procurement threshold should have gone through the appropriate contract process.

The report said the items purchased could not be physically sighted or traced to the stores.

It also estimated that the procurement approach denied the Federal Government about ₦2.18 million in Value Added Tax and Withholding Tax.

Across all eight findings, the Auditor-General said the management of the National Cash Transfer Office did not respond to the audit queries.

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The report consequently called for explanations, supporting documentation and, where officials fail to satisfactorily account for the affected expenditure, recovery of the funds to the Federal Government’s Treasury.

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