The amount of foreign exchange used for the payment of estacodes and Personal Travel Allowances to Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as to fund Bureaux De Change operations was $3.95bn in 2019, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The CBN, in the 2020 annual report of its Currency Operations Department released on Thursday, said the forex procured for the payment of estacodes and PTA to the MDAs as well as the funding of BDC
operations dropped to $2.12bn last year.
“The receipt and authentication of foreign currency deposits by Deposit Money Banks reduced significantly due to the downturn in global trade in 2020,” it said.
The apex bank said it recorded a significant reduction in the volume and cost of forex procurement last year.
It said, “A total of $1,830.00m was procured over the course of 2020. This value represents a decrease of $2,120.00m or 53.67 per cent relative to the $3,950.00m procured in 2019.
“This was used to fund Bureaux De Change operations, payment of estacode and Personal Travel Allowances to Ministries, Departments and Agencies.”
The CBN said it used N538.59m to destroy unfit naira notes worth N698.59bn last year.
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