The chief executive officer of SenexPay Limited, Okeoghene Orhosere, has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to think through its policies on cryptocurrencies before passing them into law.
Orhosere, who made the call in a virtual meeting with journalists from his residence in South Africa, also advised the Federal Government to create a level playing field for all legitimate crypto start-ups in the country.
Orhosere said the recent ban on cryptocurrencies by the Central Bank of Nigeria has made most entrepreneurs relocate to other developed countries.
He added that such a reaction has, in turn, led to a huge loss of taxes for the Federal Government.
“When I got the news about the CBN ban, I had to move my office out of Nigeria to South Africa. Running a business in Nigeria is very frustrating due to what many people now commonly tag the ‘Nigerian Factor’,” Orhosere said.
“What we want to do is to help develop the country, but if the government continues to fail in creating an enabling environment for businesses like ours, how can such happen?” he asked.
Orhosere lamented the level of brain drain in the country, saying the government needs to recognise the efforts made by most youths in competing with their international counterparts.
He, therefore, called on the CBN to rethink its current stance on cryptocurrencies as many developed countries are far ahead in terms of related technological advancements. The crypto guru has decided to permanently operate his business in South Africa until the Federal Government provides a favourable regulatory framework on cryptocurrencies.
SenexPay is a multi-million-dollar Bitcoin Instant Exchange Service that launched in 2016. The company had initiated plans to expand its services to other countries before the CBN made its announcement.
