Acting-President, Yemi Osinbajo has explained that corruption and the vandalization of pipeline facilities in the Niger-Delta region were responsible for the reduction in the volume of Dollar reserved with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
He said such was responsible for the continuous fall of the Naira against the dollar. He stated this in Port-Harcourt while chiding members of the opposition who criticize the federal government for the fall of the Naira against the Dollar.
Osinbajo said that Nigerians spent more money to buy Dollars because the currency was scarce and insufficient to go round, triggering the forces of Supply and Demand into play.
He, however, assured that the federal government was putting measures in place to ensure that the diversion of foreign currencies from the National Treasury through corruption, and the vandalization of pipeline facilities that reduce the amount of Dollars accruable to the federal government is brought to end, adding that once the federal government is able to earn more Dollars than it is currently earning, the exchange rate will go down.
Osinbajo said: “Some people have said ‘Ah! When you came the exchange rate was this now it is that.’ What accounts for exchange rates is simple. It is Dollars. If you don’t have Dollars, your exchange rate goes up. If you have dollars your exchange rate goes down.
“If you lose oil revenues through corruption and pipeline vandalism, your exchange rate goes up. It’s very simple. If Dollar is scarce, then the Naira to buy it will be more. That’s a simple thing.
“Exchange rate is not magic. It is just the availability of Dollars. Once we are able to earn the Dollars the exchange rate will go down. And we are hopeful that all of what we are trying to put in place, and with cooperation of all of us. We’ll be able to bring the exchange rate down.”