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Nigerian journalists covering the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) have lamented the low exchange rate between the Naira and other African currencies.
Many Nigerian journalists who hit Côte d’Ivoire by road lamented how the loss in value affected their budget and plans to cover the tournament that kicked off January 13th in Abidjan.
Checks by TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reporter in Abidjan show that the CFA which is the official currency of the host nation is twice as powerful as the Naira.
A Nigerian journo, Bello Omotunde said he exchanged 100,000 Naira at the Nigerian border and was given just 50,000 CFA.
He added that when he lamented they referred him to the Nigerian government.
“I changed my 100,000 notes thinking I will get something above that or something close in CFA but I was utterly disappointed when I was given a paltry 50,000 CFA.
“When I complained, they said I should go to my government to complain”.
Another Nigerian journalist, Soji Oluwaseun, said he’s contemplating returning home because his plans have been disrupted due to the abysmal exchange rate and the high cost of living in Côte d’Ivoire.
According to him, he doesn’t want to continue to suffer in a foreign country, after expending all his budget for the tournament in the early days.
Another journalist, who came all the way from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, Sunday Braihmah, also lamented the high exchange rate and how it spoiled his plans.
“I was thinking of staying here for one month but as it is, I can’t.
“Five of us had to contribute to rent an apartment where we pay 20k per day.
“Calculate that in a week. Plus, we are inconveniencing ourselves just to get this tournament covered,” he said
However, a journalist from Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Lasinna said he doesn’t have cause to worry about the CFA or exchange rate, saying that the same currency is also used for transaction in his own country, adding that he has been getting value for his money.
After putting calls through to accredited journalists who are not yet on ground, some of them said they would rather delay their coming or not show up at; all because of the big difference in the exchange rate between Naira and CFA.