The Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has raised the exchange rate for cargo clearance from N952 per dollar to N1.356 per dollar.
This came weeks after the rate was increased from N783 per dollar to N952 per dollar.
Exchange rate for cargo clearance was in November 2023, raised from N757 per dollar to N783 per dollar.
This represented a 3.4 percent increase, and was later raised from N783 per dollar to N952 per dollar in December.
Reacting, a member of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Remilekun Sikiru, said, “How do we explain this? From N952 per dollar to N1,356 per dollar as of Friday morning with about N404 increase? It’s quite unfortunate that the prices of goods and commodities will automatically increase. Importation would further decrease and depreciate, vehicle prices would skyrocket again.
“Since this unification of a thing, the government has refused to look inward and critically into the maritime industry as regards importation and exportation. The sector have been neglected and things are getting worse daily. The question now is, how would freight forwarders and customs brokers agents cope with this new rate?”
Also speaking, an agent, Ben Anya, said that they woke up to the new rate, which he said was before now, set at N951 per dollar.
Anya explained that with the latest increase in the exchange rate, the cost of clearing would increase.
“And this would also affect the cost of goods in the market. It would also lead to a drop in importation,” he said.
