Arsenal faced a disappointing end to 2023 with a 2-1 defeat against Fulham at Craven Cottage, despite an early lead. Bukayo Saka provided the lead for Mikel Arteta’s team with a close-range finish within the first five minutes. However, Raul Jimenez’s goal for Fulham just before the half-hour mark equalized the score. The turning point came in the second half when De Cordova-Reid capitalized on Arsenal’s defensive lapse to secure the winning goal for Fulham. 
Arsenal lose last game of 2023 – Getty image The Gunners’ inability to contain Fulham’s attacks ultimately cost them the game, as they missed a crucial opportunity to keep pace in the title race. The defeat leaves Arsenal in the fourth position in the league table, having lost two straight games within one week.
According to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the country’s external reserves dropped by $1.46bn between January and March. The reserves were recorded at $36.99bn at the end of January 2023, but fell to $35.53bn by the end of March 2023. The Governor of CBN, Godwin Emefiele attributed the decline in external reserves to the fall in crude oil prices. “The committee, however, noted the marginal decline in the level of gross external reserves to $36.13bn in February 2023, from $36.4bn in January 2023, a decrease of 0.7 per cent, reflecting the downtrend in crude oil prices, as global uncertainties persist,” he said. In 2022, CBN launched the ‘RT200 FX Programme’ aimed at increasing forex supply through non-oil exports, with a target of achieving $200bn in FX repatriation over the next three to five years. The programme includes five key anchors: value-adding exports facility, non-oil commodities expansion facility, non-oil FX rebate scheme, dedicated non-oil export terminal, and biannual non-oil export summit. 
