FX Backlog: CBN disburses $64.44million to conclude payment of verified claims by Airlines

By Maryam Abeeb

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), fulfilling its pledge to clear the backlog of foreign exchange owed foreign airlines in the country, has concluded the payment of all verified claims by airlines with an additional $64.44 million to the concerned airlines.
Recently, it could be recalled that CBN has announced the disbursement of $61.64 million to foreign airlines through various Deposit Money Banks.
Confirming the figures, the Acting Director of Corporate Communications at the CBN, Mrs. Hakama Sidi Ali, noted that the latest amount paid to the airlines brought the total verified amount paid to that sector to $136.73 million.
She added that all the verified airline claims had now been cleared.
According to her, the Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, and his team were doubly committed and would stop at nothing to ensure that the verified backlog of payments across all other sectors was cleared and confidence was restored in the Nigerian foreign exchange market.
Furthermore, she assured that the CBN was working with stakeholders to ensure liquidity improves within the forex market, thereby reducing pressure on the Naira.
While expressing optimism that the market would respond positively with the latest injection of over $64 million, she admonished actors in the foreign exchange market to guard against speculation as such actions could hurt the Naira.
She urged the public to support the reforms in the foreign exchange market, adding that the CBN would continue to promote orderliness and professional conduct by all participants in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market to ensure market forces determine exchange rates.
It could be recalled that the apex bank has released 500 million dollars to various sectors in its determination to address the backlog of verified foreign exchange transactions.
This comes barely a week after the apex bank paid approximately 2.0 billion dollars to settle outstanding commitments across manufacturing, aviation, and petroleum sectors.