So with all this hatred of Cryptocurrency in the past why is the Government now seeing a different light in Partnering with a Cryptocurrency Heavyweight like Binance? are they waking up from their slumber or is this just proof of what we have been saying all along, If not for their own selfish interest they wouldn't do it for the people. However, let us hope at the end of the day, this will bring positive news for Cryptocurrency adoption in the country.
The Nigerian government seems very confused. The CBN seems to be standing its ground on the ban but the Security and Exchange Commission is beginning to be dynamic and flexible towards cryptocurrencies. The government is beginning to see how much it can gain from the crypto space. The Nigerian economy currently is in a big mess. The majority of its income from the sale of crude currently goes into debt servicing and the government must borrow to fund recurrent expenditure and petrol subsidy.
The government is in dire need of any form of investment that would attract revenue. The CBN governor seems to be an archaic economist that is still tied to the apron of some Western and Chinese banks. Sometimes I don't blame Nigerian officials for their anti-Bitcoin policies because most countries that give them loans are against Bitcoin.
We don't know what is hidden behind the partnering by the federal government. Nigeria is a big market and has got the highest level of adoption and usage amidst the restrictions from the government. The government is found much interested in promoting the country's own CBDC eNaira.
There is no form of publicity or promotion of the eNaira that would make it gain general acceptance or adoption. It is pegged to the naira and this currency has lost almost 35% to 50% of its value in recent times, and it is on record that unlike Bitcoin the naira never recovers its lost ground. Nigerians are smart people; hence they prefer to use Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation. The hidden agenda might be that the Nigerian government wants to attract investors which would increase their tax revenue.
I saw ineffectiveness about their banks ban in the past, and finally gradually opened the gap. Another reason I think this is to regain the political trust of the government after oppressing their citizens.
The election is next year and the ruling party is really desperate to retain power. These few months they would do everything possible to gain the trust and confidence of the people of Nigeria. They might be looking for some political and economic points to score. They know that the youths are now the highest eligible voters, hence they might be targeting to make policies to please the young population.