The naira maintained a steady appreciation against the United States dollar, gaining N18 to close 1,382/$ at the official market.
This came as the Presidency warned currency speculators to desist from unpatriotic acts against the national currency, saying racketeers would have their fingers burnt.
The naira gain came a day after the local currency recorded major gains at both the official and parallel foreign exchange markets. It closed at the black market at N1,400/dollar on Wednesday.
The summary of the FX trading auction revealed that naira appreciated by 1.3 percent following increased dollar supply at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market, according to data from the FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited.
The intraday high closed at N1,598 per dollar on Thursday, stronger than N1,620 it closed at on Wednesday. Also, the intraday low strengthened to N1,300/$ on the same day, stronger than N1,350/$1 closed on the previous day.
The dollar supplied by FX market players increased to $288.47, an increase of $2 or 7.46 percent from $268.29 million recorded on Wednesday from $195.13 million at NAFEM.
In the recent weeks, the naira has gained N500 against the dollar from its record low this year at the unofficial market, as the CBN builds confidence in the FX market.
The Central Bank of Nigeria declared on Wednesday that it has successfully resolved all valid foreign exchange backlogs, as pledged by Governor Olayemi Cardoso, addressing inherited claims amounting to $7bn.
Hakama Sidi Ali, CBN’s acting director of corporate communications, conveyed this information in a statement sent via mail. She stated that the CBN finalised the payment of $1.5 billion to settle obligations to bank customers, thereby clearing the remaining balance of the FX backlog.
Cardoso emphasised the priority of clearing the FX backlog to enhance credibility and confidence in the Nigerian economy.
