Struggling with record inflation, Nigeria’s Central Bank postpones meeting to decide interest rates

Nigeria’s Central Bank has postponed this month’s scheduled Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting that will decide the nation’s interest rates

For the first time in eight years, Nigeria’s Central Bank postponed the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), to decide the nation’s interest rates temporarily. The MPC meeting is usually held every two months to decide interest rates. It was initially scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, September 25 and 26, 2023.

A statement signed by the Director, Corporate Communications, Isa AbdulMumin, said a new date for the meeting will be communicated in due course. “We regret any inconvenience this change may cause our stakeholders and the general public,” the statement read on the central bank’s website.

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Last week, President Bola Tinubu nominated Yemi Cardoso as Nigeria’s next CBN governor. Cardoso is expected to succeed Godwin Emefiele, whose suspension and dramatic removal still raise legal questions. Nonetheless, the Central Bank has struggled with price stability since Emefiele’s reign as CBN Governor. Nigeria’s inflation figures have now crossed an 18-year high with the current figures at 25.80%, driven by food prices. Emefiele’s reign has caused several analysts to question the bank’s independence especially with a last minute stunt of ex-bank chief to vie for the presidency.

While Cardoso’s political affiliations maybe called into question, the decision to maintain or raise interest rates in response to mounting inflation has to be made very soon at the MPC meeting. The now postponed meeting is sure to raise eyebrows over how the leadership of the CBN would be managed, especially under Tinubu’s administration.

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