Business

Subsidy: Nigerians Indict NNPC, Accuse Successive Govts Of Complicity

Published

3 years ago

December 3, 2022

… Want Warri, Port Harcourt, Kaduna Refineries Fixed

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo, Benin

Nigerians have called on the Federal Government to be more decisive with the issue of subsidy for petroleum products in the overall interest of the masses.

Participants at a weekly discussion programme of the African Media Hangout, a platform made up of a group of diverse media professionals made the call weekend.

Discussants at the weekly programme included Professor Tony Afejuku of the University of Benin, Benin City; Pa Patrick Omhonriawho; a Publisher, Oray Osawe, and a retired News Agency Nigeria Editor, Mr. Celsius Ohain, among others.

In his contribution, Prof Tony Afejuku of the University of Benin identified Nigeria’s major problem as that of leadership, which according to him is the cause of the “subsidy woes.”

While calling on journalists to carry out their watch dog role by doing more investigation in the mystery behind fuel subsidy in Nigeria, Prof. Afejuku urged citizens to protest against fuel problem (scarcity) which he said has become a source of trauma, pains to Nigerians.

He said: “Nigeria has only one huge problem. What is this huge problem? The huge problem of leadership. It is the cause of our subsidy woes. With or without subsidy Nigeria will be the progressive country we want it to be if we have the right leadership; if our political leaders are political leaders and not political rulers.”

Another contributor with the username Mr Oyo said fuel subsidy is not the problem but “issue of greed and pursuit of wanton wealth at the expense of Nigerians by the country’s petroleum company, the NNPC and its management.”

Questioning Why the NNPC should be the sole importer of fuel since Nigeria fails to refine her crude, Mr. Oyo said: “Until Nigeria refines her crude locally, the solution lies in deregulation of the market so that importers can set up an independent monitoring body.”

On his part, ORay Osawe, Publisher, Navigator Newspapers, also accused the NNPC of defrauding the nation’s treasury with the payment of subsidy.

He added that since successful governments have failed to stop the payment of subsidy, it means the government itself is complicit in the fraud.

He asserted: “The NNPC has feasted on the governments’ magnanimity and is defrauding the Nigerian people in the subsidy payment.

“The problem is that top government officials are colluding with the NNPC to rape the Nigerian masses in the name of subsidy.

“This explains why successive governments lack the political will to stop the subsidy by not breaking the NNPC’s monopoly. In essence governments has been complicit, especially with a President overseeing the Petroleum Ministry.”

Also contributing to the discussion, Elder Patrick Omhonriawho popularly called PGO viewed the problem of subsidy from multiple perspectives, saying “leaders slow pace of decision making with a bicameral legislature; lack of leadership and corruption in every facets of government are a major banes.”

He added: “Our leaders slow pace of decision making with a bicameral legislature has not helped matters. This is visible in contract awards for building roads, bridges, fuel depots and rail lines.

“Lack of leadership and corruption in every facets of government is a major issue.” (Sic)

On his part, Elder Celsius Ohain, a retired Editor of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) posited that “Fuel subsidy has become somewhat of a mysterious phenomenon in Nigeria because of the aura of secrecy and controversy that surrounds it over the years.”

According to him, “as a nation, our ‘subsidy’ does not seem to meet that acceptable universal stand but has instead become a means to bleed the nation financially.”

While noting that many persons who condemned subsidy while seeking power do the same thing when they get to power, the media practitioner urged government to fix the nation’s refineries so as to stop the importation of fuel cum subsidy.

He added: “Successive governments have done exactly the same thing they condemned on their journey to power, thus making ‘subsidy’ a jinx the nation has found it difficult to extricate itself from.

“Few years ago, there was a subsidy probe and cans or rather, drums of worms were exposed about people getting paid for importing ‘fuel’ with non-existent vessels on high seas.

“The critical question is: Why continue to import finished products when our refineries which remain in comatose could be fixed to enable local refining and export of finished product?

“Why can’t the Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries come to life? These are begging questions. Suffice it to say that successive governments have shown lack of political will to do the needful as the lure of ‘free monies’ flowing therefrom is too attractive to ignore.”

Business

Full List: 82 Newly Approved, Fully Licensed BDC Operators

Published

3 days ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted final operating licences to 82 Bureaux De Change (BDC) operators under its revised regulatory framework, reinforcing warnings against transactions with unlicensed foreign exchange dealers.

In a statement on Monday, the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Hakama Sidi-Ali, confirmed that the licences took effect on November 27, 2025, in accordance with the 2024 Regulatory and Supervisory Guidelines for BDC Operations. The guidelines require all operators to meet specified capital thresholds and regulatory conditions to qualify for licensing.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria, in exercise of its powers under the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020 and the 2024 Guidelines, has granted final licences to 82 Bureaux De Change to operate with effect from November 27, 2025,” the statement read.

The apex bank emphasised that only BDCs listed on its official website are considered fully licensed, urging the public to verify the status of any operator before engaging in foreign exchange transactions.

“While the CBN will continue to update the list of Bureaux De Change with valid operating licences for public verification on our website, the Bank advises the general public to avoid dealing with unlicensed Foreign Exchange Operators,” the statement warned.

The CBN noted that operating a BDC without a valid licence constitutes an offence under Section 57(1) of the BOFIA 2020, and confirmed that legal action would be taken against non-compliant operators.

TIER 1

1 DULA GLOBAL BDC LTD

2 TRURATE GLOBAL BDC LTD

TIER 2

1 ABBUFX BDC LTD

2 ACHA GLOBAL BDC LTD

3 ARCTANGENT SWIFT BDC LTD

4 ASCENDANT BDC LTD

5 BARACAI BDC LTD

6 BERGPOINT BDC LTD

7 BRAVO MODEL BDC LTD

8 BRIMESTONE BDC LTD

9 BROWNSTON BDC LTD

10 BUZZWALLET BDC LTD

11 CASHCODE BDC LTD

12 CHATTERED BDC LTD

13 CHRONICLES BDC LTD

14 COOL FOREX BDC LTD

15 CORPORATE EXCHANGE BDC LTD

16 COURTESY CURRENCY BDC LTD

17 DANYARO BDC LTD

18 DASHAD BDC LTD

19 DEVAL BDC LTD

20 DFS BDC LTD

21 EASY CASH BDC LTD

22 ELELEM BDC LTD

23 E-LIOYDS BDC LTD

24 ELOGOZ BDC LTD

25 ENOUF BDC LTD

26 EVER JOJ GOLD BDC LTD

27 EXCEL RIJIYA FOREX BDC LTD

28 FABFOREX BDC LTD

29 FELLOM BDC LTD

30 FINE BDC LTD

31 FOMAT BDC LTD

32 GENELO BDC LTD

33 GENTLE BREEZE BDC LTD

34 GRACEFUL GLORY AND HUMILITY BDC LTD

35 GREENGATE BDC LTD

36 GREENVAULT BDC LTD

37 HAZON CAPITAL BDC LTD

38 HIGH-POINT BDC LTD

39 I & I EXCHANGE BDC LTD

40 IBN MARYAM BDC LTD

41 JOURNEY WELL BDC LTD

42 KEEPERS BDC LTD

43 KHADHOUSE SOLUTIONS BDC LTD

44 KIMMELFX BDC LTD

45 KINGSOFT ATLANTIC BDC LTD

46 M.S. ALHERI BDC LTD

47 MASTERS BDC LTD

48 MCMENA BDC LTD

49 MKOO BDC LTD

50 MKS BDC LTD

51 MR J GOLF BDC LTD

52 MUSDIQ BDC LTD

53 MZ FOREX BDC LTD

54 NEJJ BDC LTD LTD

55 NETVALUE BDC LTD

56 NEW WAVE BDC LTD

57 NOTABLE AND KINGSTON BDC LTD

58 PILCROW BDC LTD

59 RAPID BDC LTD

60 RIGHTWAY BDC LTD

61 RWANDA BDC LTD

62 SABLES BDC LTD

63 SAFETRANZ BDC LTD

64 SAMFIK BDC LTD

65 SEVENLOCKS BDC LTD

66 SHAPEARL BDC LTD

67 SIMTEX BDC LTD

68 SOLID WHITE BDC LTD

69 ST. NICHOLAS GLOBAL BDC LTD

70 TOPFIRST UNIQUE MULTICHOICE BDC LTD

71 TOPGATE BDC LTD

72 TRAVELLER’S CHOICE BDC LTD

73 TUCA GLOBAL BDC LTD

74 TURBOVA BDC LTD

75 TURN-UP BDC LTD

76 UNIGO BDC LTD

77 VICTORY AHEAD BDC LTD

78 WHITEWAY WWW BDC LTD

79 YUND GLOBAL LINK BDC LTD

80 ZAMAD FOREX BDC LTD

Business

CBN Issues 82 New BDC Licences, Moves To Curb Unregistered FX Operators

Published

3 days ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted final operating licences to 82 Bureaux De Change (BDC) under its updated regulatory framework and cautioned members of the public against engaging with unlicensed foreign exchange operators.

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Hakama Sidi-Ali, the Bank said the licences became effective on 27 November 2025. The approvals were granted under the 2024 Regulatory and Supervisory Guidelines for BDC Operations in Nigeria.

The CBN stressed that only BDCs listed on its official website are recognised as licensed operators. It encouraged the public to verify the licensing status of BDCs before engaging in any foreign exchange transactions.

The Bank reiterated that running a BDC without proper authorisation constitutes an offence under Section 57(1) of the BOFIA 2020. It stated that enforcement actions would be taken against violators.

The licensing exercise forms part of the CBN’s broader initiative to reform the foreign exchange market and ensure that only compliant operators participate in the sector. Under the 2024 guidelines, which took effect in June 2024,
all BDCs are required to reapply for Tier 1 or Tier 2 licences.

The guidelines stipulate minimum capital requirements of ₦2 billion for Tier 1 and ₦500 million for Tier 2, along with non-refundable licensing fees of ₦5 million and ₦2 million, respectively.

The CBN said it would continue its efforts to maintain order and transparency in the foreign exchange market.

Business

JUST IN: CBN Removes Cash Deposit Limits, Raises Weekly Withdrawal To N500,000

Published

1 week ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has removed cash deposit limits and also increased the weekly cash withdrawal limit from N100,000 to N500,000.

The CBN made this known in a circular to all banks and other financial institutions, signed by Dr Rita Sike, Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department.

Sike said that the revisions formed part of ongoing efforts to moderate the rising cost of cash management and address security concerns.

According to her, it will also curb money laundering risks associated with heavy reliance on cash.

She said that the cash-related policies previously issued in response to evolving circumstances were aimed at reducing cash usage and promoting the adoption of electronic payment channels.

“However, with time, the need to streamline and update these provisions to reflect present-day realities became necessary,” she said.

She said that with effect from Jan. 1, 2026, the cumulative deposit limit would be removed and the fee previously charged on excess deposits would no longer apply.

The director said that the cumulative weekly withdrawal limit across all channels has been reviewed to N500,000 for individuals and five million Naira for corporates.

“Withdrawals above these thresholds will attract excess withdrawal charges as specified,” she said. “The special monthly authorisation that allowed individuals to withdraw five million Naira and corporates N10 million once a month has been abolished.”

She said that for Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), daily withdrawal remains capped at N100,000 per customer, with a maximum of N500,000 weekly.

She said that this formed part of the overall weekly withdrawal limit applicable to all channels, including point-of-sale (POS) transactions.

Sike said that excess withdrawals above the stipulated limits would attract three per cent for individuals and five per cent for corporate customers.

According to her, this will be shared in the ratio of 40 per cent to the CBN and 60 per cent to the operating bank or financial institution.

She directed banks to load all currency denominations in ATMs, while the existing limit on over-the-counter encashment of third-party cheques remains pegged at N100,000.

Sike said that such withdrawals would be counted as part of the cumulative weekly limit.

The director said that banks were also required to render monthly returns to the relevant supervisory departments.

She listed the departments to include the Banking Supervision Department, Other Financial Institutions Supervision Department, and the Payments System Supervision Department.

Sike said that revenue-generating accounts of federal, state, and local governments were exempted from the new withdrawal rules.

She said that accounts of microfinance banks and primary mortgage banks held with commercial and non-interest banks are also exempted from the new rules.

She, however, said that the long-standing exemption previously enjoyed by embassies, diplomatic missions, and aid-donor agencies had been removed.