The Nigerian naira slid further versus the US dollar for the second straight day across both the official and unofficial segments of the foreign-exchange market, leaving the week with a negative closing tone. Figures from the Central Bank of Nigeria showed that on Friday the currency weakened to N1,371.04 per dollar, compared with N1,370.89 recorded on Thursday.
On a day-on-day basis in the official market, that translated into a decline of N0.15 against the dollar. In the parallel market, the move was sharper: the naira fell to N1,415 per dollar on Friday, after trading at N1,395 per dollar on Thursday. Over the preceding four days, the unofficial rate had also been under pressure, with Friday’s quoted level reflecting that broader weakness.
The latest depreciation occurred even after a short improvement in external buffers. The central bank reported that Nigeria’s foreign reserves rose for three days, reaching $48.51 billion as of May 13, 2026. Despite this increase, the naira still softened at both exchange windows, following a similar drop on Thursday in the official foreign-exchange market.
Week in review: mixed trading signals
Across the week, the naira’s performance against foreign currencies reflected a tug-of-war between intermittent gains and losses, with renewed selling pressure returning toward the end of the period.
