CBN Targets Excess Liquidity With ₦600 Billion OMO Auction Set For June 2

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced plans to conduct a new round of Open Market Operation (OMO) auctions on Monday, June 2, 2025, offering ₦600 billion worth of bills to the market. This fresh issuance is aimed at tightening system liquidity and refinancing maturing OMO instruments expected a day later.

According to data sourced by MarketForces Africa, the central bank will float the new OMO bills across two mid-range tenors—106 days and 232 days—as part of efforts to calibrate money market liquidity and manage short-term interest rate stability.

This follows two aggressive OMO auctions last week in which the apex bank allotted more than ₦1.6 trillion, targeting both local banks and foreign portfolio investors. The auctions drew significant interest, with the first round receiving bids totaling ₦1.146 trillion and an allotment of ₦1.127 trillion, while the second round attracted ₦687.13 billion in bids, resulting in ₦482.33 billion being allotted.

The CBN is intensifying liquidity control measures amid projections of lower inflows in June. Analysts forecast a total liquidity inflow of ₦2.1 trillion this month, significantly down from ₦3.5 trillion recorded in May. Market watchers expect tightening conditions to be triggered by Monday’s ₦600 billion issuance.

As the regulator seeks to influence short-term rates and mop up excess funds from the system, traders anticipate renewed competition for CBN instruments, particularly as financial institutions reposition portfolios in response to macroeconomic signals.