Senate Demands CBN’s Full Disclosure On ₦1.44trn Surplus

The Senate today demanded a detailed explanation from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the alleged non-remittance of N1.44 trillion in operating surplus, as the apex bank reported that the Nigerian economy had entered its most stable phase in more than ten years.

The Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, chaired by Senator Tokunbo Abiru, opened its statutory briefing with a firm call for transparency.

Senator Abiru said the Auditor-General’s query on the unremitted funds required a full, clear and documented response, insisting that public trust in monetary governance depended on strict accountability.

While acknowledging the CBN’s achievements in stabilising the foreign exchange market and reducing inflation, Abiru underscored that such progress must be accompanied by institutional responsibility.

He stated the Senate expected the CBN to explain the circumstances surrounding the query, outline corrective steps taken and reveal safeguards against future lapses.

The CBN governor, Olayemi Cardoso, who appeared before the senate committee, offered an extensive review of economic conditions, asserting that Nigeria was experiencing renewed macroeconomic stability across major indicators.

Cardoso attributed the progress to bold monetary reforms, foreign-exchange liberalisation and disciplined liquidity management implemented since mid-2025.

According to him, headline inflation had declined for seven consecutive months, from 34.6 per cent in November 2024 to 16.05 per cent in October 2025, marking the steepest and longest disinflation trend in over a decade.

Food inflation accruing to him also slowed to 13.12 per cent, supported by improved supply conditions and exchange-rate predictability.

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The CBN governor described the foreign-exchange market as fundamentally transformed, adding that speculative attacks and arbitrage opportunities had largely disappeared.

According to him, the premium between the official and parallel markets had fallen to below two per cent, compared to over 60 per cent a year earlier. As of November 26, the naira traded at N1,442.92 per dollar at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, stronger than the N1,551 average recorded in the first half of 2025.

He also announced a sharp rise in external reserves to $46.7 billion, the highest in nearly seven years and sufficient to cover over ten months of imports.

Diaspora remittances, he noted, had tripled to about $600 million monthly, while foreign capital inflows reached $20.98 billion in the first ten months of 2025, 70 per cent higher than in 2024 and more than four times the 2023 figure.

Cardoso further confirmed that the CBN had fully cleared the $7 billion verified FX backlog, restoring investor confidence and strengthening Nigeria’s balance-of-payments position.

On banking-sector stability, he reported that recapitalisation efforts were progressing smoothly. Twenty-seven banks had already raised new capital, with sixteen meeting or surpassing the new regulatory thresholds ahead of the March 31, 2026 deadline, highlighting improvements in ATM cash availability, digital-payments oversight and cybersecurity compliance.

Despite the positive indicators, the Senate sought clarity on several policy decisions.

Abiru pressed for explanations on the sustained 45 per cent Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), the 75 per cent CRR applied to non-Treasury Single Account public-sector deposits, FX forward settlements, mutilated naira notes in circulation, excessive bank charges, failed electronic transactions and the compliance of CBN subsidiaries with parliamentary oversight.

He also requested an update on the activities of the Financial Services Regulatory Coordinating Committee, arguing that stronger inter-agency cooperation was necessary to maintain public confidence.

The session later moved into a closed-door meeting.