By John Ikani
Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has assured members of the public that Bureaux De Change (BDCs) will continue to provide foreign exchange services.
The ABCON President, Aminu Gwadabe, gave the assurance in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.
Gwadabe who noted that the recent decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) discontinuing sales of foreign exchange to BDCs did not stop operators from providing forex services, added that BDCs operating licenses and guidelines allow them to continue in the business.
He said: “BDCs are licensed to provide retail FX services, including buying from the public and also selling to end-users for allowable transactions namely: Personal Travel Allowance (PTA), Business Travel Allowance (BTA), payment of medical and school fees.
“While the dollar sale from CBN has helped in enhancing supply, the fact remains that BDCs are empowered to source FX from other sources and also to provide various services to members of the public.
“While the CBN has stopped dollar sale to BDCs, it has not cancel their operating licenses, or banned them from providing FX services to members of the public.”
Gwadabe urged members to see the pronouncement as a wake-up call and an opportunity to widen their customer base and deepen their businesses.
While noting that ABCON had always worked with the CBN to ensure proper working of the foreign exchange market, Gwadabe assured that the association would engage the apex bank to address and resolve all issues leading to the recent action, including identification and sanctioning of erring BDCs, where necessary.
He further pledged that the association would work with relevant stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies, to develop a National BDC Policy aimed at enhancing the contributions of BDC sub-sector to the nation’s economy.
