Domestic Debt: Lagos, Rivers, Delta Top List of Nigeria's Borrowing States

Nigeria’s Public Debt Rises to N121. 67 Trillion – DMO

Bukola Olanrewaju June 24, 2024 BUSINESS Leave a comment

The Debt Management Office (DMO) says Nigeria’s total public debt stock hit N121.67 trillion (91.46 billion dollars) in March.

The Director-General of the DMO, Patience Oniha, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Oniha said that the debt stock comprised the total external and domestic debts of the Federal Government, the 36 state governments, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to her, the total domestic debt, as at March, was N65.65 trillion (46.29 dollars), while the total external debt was N56.02 trillion (42.12 billion dollars).

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According to the DMO, the increase was primarily due to new domestic borrowing by the federal government to partly fund the deficit in the 2024 budget as well as disbursements by multilateral and bilateral lenders.

“Total domestic debt was N65.65 trillion (USD46.29 billion) while total external debt was N56.02 trillion (USD42.12 billion). Excluding naira exchange rate movements in Q1 2024, only the domestic debt component of total public debt grew from N59.12 trillion on December 31, 2023, to N65.65 trillion on March 31, 2024.

“The increase was from new borrowing to part-finance the 2024 Budget deficit and securitization of a portion of the N7.3 trillion Ways and Means Advances at the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Whilst borrowing, as provided in the 2024 Appropriation Act, will continue, we expect improvements in the government’s revenue to enhance debt sustainability.”

The debt profile of the north-western state shrunk by 95 percent or N40.69 billion. Ondo and Kebbi states also achieved impressive reductions of 77 percent (N55.11 billion) and 72 percent (N61.25 billion), respectively.

On June 13, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, announced the approval of two major “financial support packages” by the World Bank — valued at $2.25 billion. In May, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) said the federal government has secured a $500m World Bank loan to boost electricity distribution in the country.

Prior to this, the federal government had received $750 million from the World Bank for humanitarian and social reforms and $1.5 billion for its economic stabilisation plan.