Business
FG Records N524.25bn Fiscal Deficit In One Month
The Federal Government recorded N524.25bn fiscal deficit in May, from N643.09bn in April.
This was obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s monthly economic report on fiscal sector development.
It stated that, “The disproportionate reduction in expenditure and revenue outcomes resulted in a contraction in the overall fiscal deficit, during the period.
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“Following the 14.0 per cent decline in government spending and 7.2 per cent fall in FGN retained revenue, the provisional fiscal deficit, at N524.25bn, was 18.5 per cent and 1.5 per cent below the level in April and the budget benchmark, respectively.”
The government’s fiscal operations remained anchored on the extant fiscal framework to pursue macroeconomic stability, income generation, and the expansion of fiscal space to boost infrastructural development, among other objectives.
The revenue challenge persisted in May 2022, as the federation and the Federal Government recorded shortfalls of 35.8 per cent and 7.2 per cent, relative to the respective monthly targets. However, the overall fiscal deficit of the FGN contracted by 1.5 per cent, relative to the target, driven, largely, by a 14.0 per cent drop in aggregate expenditure.
Total public outstanding debt, at end March 2022, stood at N41.6tn or 18.8 per cent of GDP, and remained within the 40.0 per cent debt-GDP threshold.
The report stated that, “Provisional federally collected revenue in May dropped due to lower non-oil receipts. At N1.02tn, federation revenue fell below the levels in April and the monthly budget by 22.4 per cent and 35.8 per cent, respectively.
“The decline was attributed to a 30.4 per cent shortfall in nonoil receipts, relative to the target.
READ ALSO: Debt Servicing Gulps N13.17tn Under Buhari, Education Suffers
“In terms of share, non-oil revenue maintained its dominance in gross federation receipts, accounting for 54.1 per cent, while oil revenue constituted the balance of 45.9 per cent.”
Oil revenue, at N466.34bn, was above the level in April by 3.6 per cent, but fell short of the budget target by 41.1 per cent. The increase in oil revenue relative to April was attributed to increased earnings from domestic crude oil and gas sales, following the surge in crude oil price.
However, higher value shortfall recovery, for Premium Motor Spirit continued to weigh on gross oil earnings.
PUNCH
Business
CBN Retains Interest Rate At 27%
The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has voted to retain the benchmark interest rate at 27 per cent.
CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, announced the decision on Tuesday following the apex bank’s 303rd MPC meeting in Abuja.
Cardoso stated that the committee also resolved to keep all other monetary policy indicators unchanged.
READ ALSO:CBN Issues Directive Clarifying Holding Companies’ Minimum Capital
He noted that the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) remains at 45 per cent for commercial banks and 16 per cent for merchant banks, while the 75 per cent CRR on non-TSA public sector deposits was equally maintained.
Cardoso added that the Liquidity Ratio was retained at 30 per cent, and the Standing Facilities Corridor was adjusted to +50/-450 basis points around the Monetary Policy Rate.
The decision comes as Nigeria records its seventh consecutive month of declining inflation, which eased to 16.05 per cent in September 2025.
Business
CBN Issues Directive Clarifying Holding Companies’ Minimum Capital
The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has issued a definitive directive detailing how financial holding companies should calculate their minimum paid-up capital, following weeks of confusion that delayed the release of some banks’ half-year and nine-month financial statements.
In a circular dated November 14, 2025, the apex bank acknowledged “divergent interpretations” of the term minimum paid-up capital as stated in Section 7.1 of the 2014 Guidelines for Licensing and Regulation of Financial Holding Companies.
To eliminate ambiguity, the CBN ruled that minimum paid-up capital must be computed strictly as the par value of issued shares plus any share premium arising from their issuance.
READ ALSO:CBN Sets POS Maximum Transactions In Fresh Guidelines
“All Financial Holding Companies are required to apply this definition in computing their minimum capital requirement—without exception for subsidiaries,” the circular stated.
The regulator added that the directive takes immediate effect, noting that any previous interpretation that does not align with the new clarification “should be discontinued forthwith.”
The move is expected to calm market anxiety and provide clarity for lenders navigating ongoing regulatory capital requirements.
Business
Naira Records Massive Week-on-week Depreciation Against US Dollar
The Nigerian Naira recorded massive week-on-week losses against the United States dollar at the official foreign exchange market.
The Central Bank of Nigeria’s exchange rate showed that the Naira dipped significantly to end the week at N1,456.73 on Friday, November 21, 2025, down from N1,442.43 traded on November 14.
This means that on a weekly basis, the Naira shed N14.06 against the dollar at the official market.
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However, at the black market, currently battling with low patronage, it remained stable at N1,465, the same rate traded last week.
The development comes despite Nigeria’s foreign reserves rising by 1.25 per cent to $43.64 billion in the last week.
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