Wednesday 3 October 2012

Nigeria's Debt Profile Is Rising, As Federal Government Plans To Borrow $25bn By 2015

                                    

Curled from Vanguard news reports

Federal Government is expected to borrow $25 billion by 2015, Nigeria’s Debt Management Office, DMO, told the House of Representatives yesterday. This disclosure was made at a meeting with the House Joint Committee on Finance, Legislative Budget and Research, National Planning and Aid, Loans and Debt Management scrutinising the 2013-2015 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy,
 MTEFF, paper submitted by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The projected figure represents the country’s foreign and domestic borrowings flowing from 2013-2015 under review. DMO’s Director General, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo in his presentation on Nigeria’s overall debt profile and expected borrowing for 2013-2015 told the joint panel that for 2012, Nigeria external debt is projected at $9,021.53 billion; 2013 ($12,165.10 billion); 2014 ($14,585 billion) and 2015 ($16,765 billion).

A breakdown for domestic debt is projected at: 2012 ($6,483.81 billion); 2013 ($7,125.93 billion); 2014 ($7,792.41 billion) and 2015 ($8,4441.86 billion).
At the meeting, Chairman House Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, Opeyemi Bamidele, queried the absence of a debt ceiling and what it described as Nigeria’s “aggressive” borrowing from local and international sources, lawmakers said the development has stifled chances for private business to access loans locally.

He  said: “We are now aggressively borrowing in such a manner that the private sector is now being stifled as the government is now the only big spender in the economy. The private sector cannot access funds domestically, they cannot create jobs.

The DG in his response to Bamidele’s  query on rising debts countered, “Every country in the world borrows, even the most financially prudent countries like Germany and the US.”

We go hear am for this country, there is no hope for youngmen like me who plan to start small businesses.

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