The quantity of foreign exchange used for the importation of petroleum products into Nigeria fell to $1.04bn last year from $1.32bn in 2020, according to CBN.
As the country’s refineries continue to sit idle, fuel imports remain a major user of foreign exchange, even as many businesses still lament the inability to access forex at the official rate.
The nation’s forex reserves have been on a downward trend in recent months, falling to a low of $39.77bn on February 15, 2022 from $40.54bn at the end of last year.
The CBN’s data on sectoral utilisation for transactions valid for forex revealed that $45.76m was utilised in January 2021 for fuel imports; $64.67m in February, and $142.31m in March.
Forex for fuel import transactions fell to $77.96m in April and $85.64m in May but rose to $86.42m in June.
The country utilised $83.73m in July and $103.70m in August for petroleum products importation.
– Punch