Business

Domestic Debt Charges Rise By 244%

Published

3 years ago

October 16, 2022

The Federal Government has proposed to spend N4.5tn on interest charges for domestic debt by 2023, according to the proposed 2023 budget.

This is an increase of 243.51 per cent from the N1.31tn proposed allocation for interest charges on domestic debt in 2016.

While presenting the 2023 appropriation bill to a joint session of the National Assembly recently President Muhammadu Buhari noted that despite the revenue challenges in the country, the country still consistently met its debt service obligation.

“Despite our revenue challenges, we have consistently met our debt service commitments. Staff salaries and statutory transfers have also been paid as and when due,” Buhari added.

However, speaking at the launch of the World Bank’s Nigeria Development Update titled, ‘The urgency for business unusual,’ held recently in Abuja, the Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed, had admitted that Nigeria was struggling to service its debt.

She said, “Already, we are struggling with being able to service debt because even though revenue is increasing, the expenditure has been increasing at a much higher rate, so it is a very difficult situation.”

In a document by the Director General of the Debt Management Office, Patience Oniha, recently obtained by our correspondent, the DMO stated that high debt levels would often lead to high debt services and affect investments in infrastructure.

According to the DMO DG, “High debt levels lead to heavy debt service which reduces resources available for investment in infrastructure and key sectors of the economy.”

Despite this, the government plans to borrow N8.80tn and spend N6.31tn on debt service in 2023.

In its latest Africa’s Pulse report, the World Bank said that public debt in Nigeria was concerning due to the rising debt service-to-revenue ratio.

According to the bank, the debt service to revenue ratio could stand at 102.3 per cent by the end of 2022.

The President of the World Bank Group, David Malpass, recently said that the bank would work with the International Monetary Fund to assess Nigeria’s debt sustainability.

He said, “We will work with the IMF on an assessment of the debt sustainability of Nigeria but it will be up to Nigeria itself to interact with the various creditors, which include bond holders, official creditors, that are engaged in Nigeria.”

Earlier, Ahmed had disclosed that the Nigerian government was in talks with the IMF and the World Bank to restructure the country’s debts.

However, the World Bank Group President said that Nigeria was yet to request the common framework for debt restructuring.

The Chief Executive Officer of Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Dr Muda Yusuf, recently said that the Nigerian economy had been characterised by diverse economic vulnerabilities, which included rising public debt and debt service burden.

As a result of the increasing debt service cost, he said that, “Financing of the operations of government – personnel cost, overhead cost, capital expenditure, and even part of the servicing of the debt – will have to come from additional borrowing. These portend severe vulnerabilities for the Nigerian economy.”
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Business

NNPCL Revenue, Profit Soar To N5.08tn, N447bn In October

Published

2 days ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has announced a significant revenue increase to N5.078 trillion for October 2025.

The state-owned firm disclosed this in its monthly financial report released on Saturday.

According to the financial report, from N5.078 revenue in October, the company posted a N447 profit after tax.

The figure represents a significant 19.2 percent increase in revenue from N4.26 trillion and a 106 percent rise in PAT from N216 billion in September 2025.

The report stated that from January to September, NNPCL paid N11.150 trillion in statutory payments to the federation.

Four days ago, NNPCL posted a total of N45.1 trillion as total revenue for the 2024 financial year.

Business

NNPCL Reveals Reason Behind N5.4trn Profit After Tax

Published

2 days ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

The Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, has explained that the state-owned firm’s N5.4 trillion profit after tax declaration in its 2024 financial statements indicates that the country has begun to reap the benefits of the Petroleum Industry Act.

He made this explanation in an interview released on NNPCL’s X account on Friday.

Recall that NNPCL declared a significant N5.4 trillion PAT from a total revenue of N45.1 trillion in 2024.

Reacting, Ojulari said the earnings result demonstrated the state-owned firm’s commitment to transparency.

“This earning is our first step in going out there to make ourselves more visible and demonstrate our commitment towards transparency. The profit of N5.4 trillion is quite significant. What that indicates is that we are beginning to reap the benefits of the Petroleum Industry Act.”

According to DAILY POST, since Ojulari’s appointment in April 2025, NNPCL has been consistent in making its monthly financial records public.

Business

CBN Directs Nigerian Banks To Withdraw Misleading Advertisement

Published

3 days ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed Nigerian banks, payment service banks and other financial institutions to immediately withdraw all advertisements that violate consumer-protection rules.

The directive, issued in a circular dated Thursday and signed by Olubunmi Ayodele-Oni, director of the CBN’s compliance department, followed a review of marketing practices in the financial sector.

The apex bank said the assessment revealed inconsistencies in how institutions apply disclosure, transparency and fair-marketing requirements.

The CBN ordered the removal of all non-compliant adverts and warned that future promotional materials must be factual, balanced and transparent.

It banned misleading claims, exaggerated benefits, incomplete information, unaudited financial results and comparative language that could de-market competitors.
The regulator of Nigeria’s financial sector also prohibited chance-based promotional inducements such as lotteries, prize draws and lucky dips.

Accordingly, institutions submitting adverts for prior notification must now include campaign timelines, creative materials, target audience details and written confirmation of internal legal and compliance clearance, along with proof that the underlying product has CBN approval.

The bank clarified that such notifications are only for monitoring and do not amount to approval.
All affected institutions must file a compliance attestation within 30 days, signed by the chief executive and compliance leads.

The CBN added that beginning January 2026, it will conduct a follow-up review and apply sanctions for violations under BOFIA 2020 and the Consumer Protection Regulations.