The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday assured anxious bank customers and the general public of sufficient foreign exchange to meet their needs such as basic travel allowance, PTA, medical, and tuition. Speaking with business correspondents in Abuja on Monday, the Bank’s Acting Director in charge of Corporate Communications, Osita Nwanisobi dismissed speculations that it planned to convert the foreign exchange in domiciliary accounts of customers into naira. This follows the apex bank’s directive to commercial banks to initiate the sale of forex to customers for invisibles such as basic travel allowance, personal travel allowance, and medical and tuition fees. He added that the CBN had received the commitment of the banks, through their chief executive officers, that customers with legitimate requests would not be turned back.
He said those spreading the false rumour were criminal speculators, who intend to create panic in the market.
The statement said, “Nwanisobi, while disclosing that the CBN never planned to tamper with the foreign exchange deposits in the accounts of customers, insisted that those making such allegations were criminal speculators whose intention was to create panic in the foreign exchange market.
“According to him, at no time did the CBN ever suggest or imply that it would tinker with the foreign exchange deposit of customers.
He, therefore, urged operators of domiciliary accounts and other members of the banking public to go about their legitimate forex transactions and disregard fictitious stories aimed at pitching them against the apex bank and triggering chaos in the system.
