Business

FG Spent N408.5bn On Debt Servicing In February – Report

Published

2 years ago

June 11, 2023

The Federal Government spent 85.37 per cent of its revenue servicing debt in February, according to The PUNCH.

The Central Bank of Nigeria, in its monthly economic report for February 2023, noted that the Federal Government had a retained revenue of N478.57bn in February.

The bank also stated that the Federal Government spent N408.5bn on debt servicing in the same month.

The report further showed that the country recorded a fiscal deficit of N513.05bn in February.

The report read, “The estimated overall fiscal deficit of the FGN expanded in February, due to a drop in the retained revenue. At N513.05 billion, the provisional fiscal deficit of the FGN rose by 22.8 per cent relative to the preceding month. However, it was 16.2 per cent below the budget benchmark.”

The International Monetary Fund recently said the Federal Government projected to spend 82 per cent of its revenue on interest payments in 2023.

According to the IMF, external debt (including that of the private sector) will rise to $121.6bn, with external reserves climbing to $37.5bn.

It stated this in a table of projections in its ‘IMF Executive Board Concludes 2022 Article IV Consultation with Nigeria Summary.’

The projections showed an improvement in the share of the government’s revenue used as interest payment, with interest payment falling from 96.3 per cent in 2022 to 82 per cent in 2023.

It added that interest payment was 86.1 per cent and 87.8 per cent of the Federal Government’s revenue in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

The World Bank also projected that debt servicing will gulp 123.4 per cent of the Federal Government’s revenue in 2023.

This was according to a presentation made by the new World Bank Lead Economist for Nigeria, Alex Sienaert, in November 2022, which was obtained by our correspondent.

In his presentation, the World Bank’s lead economist for Nigeria noted that borrowing more money was not the solution for Nigeria.

The document read, “Borrowing more is not the solution: debt costs are rising rapidly, squeezing non-interest spending.

“Debt servicing has surged over the past decade and is expected to continue increasing over the medium-term, crowding out productive spending.”

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

4 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.