Dollar to Naira Black Market Rate Today — Friday, 24 July 2026

The naira held its ground against the dollar on Friday, 24 July 2026, with the greenback trading at ₦1,402.50 to buy and ₦1,412.25 to sell across Lagos and Abuja parallel market desks, a marginal dip of just 0.04% from Thursday's close, offering little relief but equally little alarm for Nigerians preparing to travel abroad this weekend.

For travellers heading to the airport today, the gap between what the Central Bank of Nigeria says the dollar is worth and what it actually costs on the street remains a significant budget consideration. The CBN official rate stands at ₦1,361 per dollar, yet anyone walking into a bureau de change or approaching a parallel market dealer will find the sell rate sitting at ₦1,412.25, a spread of over ₦51 per dollar. On a modest travel allowance of $2,000, that difference alone adds up to roughly ₦102,500 in extra cost, money that quietly disappears before a traveller even boards the plane.

Those travelling to the United Kingdom are facing an even steeper bill. Sterling is currently exchanging at ₦1,886.56 to buy and ₦1,906.22 to sell on the black market, meaning a £1,500 travel budget costs approximately ₦2.86 million at today's sell rate. Travellers bound for eurozone destinations (France, Germany, Spain, or Italy) will find the euro sitting at ₦1,577.57 on the buy side and ₦1,597.28 to sell, making a €1,500 allowance cost around ₦2.40 million at current parallel rates. Full currency breakdowns are available on the euro to naira page for those planning European itineraries.

The parallel market continues to be the practical reality for most outbound travellers, since accessing forex through formal banking channels at the CBN rate remains difficult without significant documentation and processing time that most holiday or business travellers simply do not have.