Perhaps following recent report by NAIRAMETRICS, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has asked banks to start publishing their returns on the utilisation of the forex in the newspapers.
This, it was learnt, was part of the measures by the CBN to check sharp practices in the forex market.
For the first two weeks of February, Stanbic IBTC Limited with a total of $23,615,680.90 reportedly emerged the highest amount of forex purchased from the CBN on behalf of its customers.
From the publications, Stanbic IBTC was followed by First Bank of Nigeria Limited and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, with $19,774,888.26 and $19,709,354.41, respectively.
Also, Zenith Bank Plc with total returns of $18,707,309.97 came fourth, while Diamond Bank reported returns of $17,515,474.
Access Bank reported returns of $16,982,208.04 to occupy the sixth place, while the United Bank for Africa Plc reported returns of $12,045,150.76.
By Thursday, only seven banks had published their returns on utilisation of funds purchased from the CBN, with others expected to do so this week.
Its not enough. CBN should also monitor same corporate accounts and track payments made to accounts of ALL officers in each bank that are on the foreign trade/operations desk via BVN. Those bankers with illicit and unexplained & suspicious credits to their accounts should then be tried and where guilty, convicted
Only then will this nonsense about round tripping come to an end