Some financial experts on Saturday predicted that retention of the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 13 per cent would lead to further increase in prices of goods and services in the country.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the development would escalate the nation's inflation rate.

Prof. Sheriffadeen Tella of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) retention of the interest rate at 13 per cent was not good for the economy.

Tella, who is of the Department of Economics, said that Nigerians should expect tougher times ahead because the retention of the rates would affect price of goods and services.

“I expected that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will bring down the rates due to the present developments in the country,’’ Tella said.

He said that the retention would continue to affect the real sector as cost of borrowing would remain high.

Tella also predicted that there would be movement of funds from the capital market to the money market due to high interest rate.

He said that the CBN should look for other ways of addressing liquidity in the system instead of relying on rates retention to the detriment of the poor masses.

The Managing Director, Standard Union Securities Ltd., Mr. Sehinde Adenagbe, said the rates should be reduced to reduce cost of funds in the economy.

Adenagbe said the economy would not experience the desired growth without proper funding of the real sector to rejuvenate economic activities.

He said that the development would increase the cost of borrowing thereby affecting the growth of the real sector and the economy in general,

President, Institute of Capital Market Registrars (ICMR), Bayo Olugbemi, attributed the retention to lack of an economic blueprint by the Federal Government.

Olugbemi said that the apex bank might be waiting to ascertain the economic policy of the Federal Government before deciding on the downward review of the rates.

“I guess the CBN is waiting for government policy direction before deciding on the rates,’’ he said.

Olugbemi said that the current situation of the country called for caution and not hasty decisions.

NAN reports that the CBN at the end of the MPC meeting on July 24 kept its benchmark interest rate on hold at 13 percent.

The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele said the bank's monetary policy committee voted 8-4 in favour of keeping the rate at its current level.

NAN reports that the nation's MPR is one of the world's highest benchmark borrowing rates. (NAN)

*Photo shows Emefiele

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