Good News as FG Settles Important Debt With a Domestic Creditor

Good News as FG Settles Important Debt With a Domestic Creditor

  • The Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, said the Nigerian government will settle its CBN debt with the CBN
  • Edun said the N4.83 trillion earned via T-Bills and Bonds would be used to offset CBN’s Ways and Means advances
  • He said that Nigeria’s securities are increasingly attracting investors amid renewed confidence in Nigeria’s economy

Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.

The Nigerian government has allocated about N4.83 trillion from the earnings of Nigerian Treasury Bills (NTBs) and Bonds issued in 2024 to settle the Ways and Means advances from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, said this during his presentation at the Lagos Business School Breakfast Club.

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FG settles CBN's Ways and Means loans, Wale Edun
President Bola Tinubu's government settles CBN's Ways and Means advances Credit: State House
Source: Facebook

FG obtains N2.94trn loan from CBN

In 2023, the Nigerian government obtained about N2.94 trillion from the apex bank via the Ways and Means advances to service domestic debts.

According to reports, the Nigerian government has resorted to using proceeds from public domestic debt obtained via Bonds and NTBs to repay a substantial part of the CBN’s Ways and Means advances.

Edun stated that the government’s securities increasingly attract investors due to CBN’s high interest rates.

He stated that CBN’s defence of the naira is projected to lead to a great interest payout, with the apex bank set to incur about N1,01 trillion.

Investors oversubscribe Nigeria's T-Bills

The minister noted that the total subscription for Q1 2024 stood at about N21.17 trillion, stressing that the rebound of the Nigerian currency caused the high demand for government securities.

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CBN gives fresh order to Zenith, GTB, Access, others on naira loans to customers

CBN recently revealed that it received over 75% of the bids during the auction of government securities on March 1 and 6, 2024, which came from foreign investors. This reflects a rising interest in Nigeria’s financial instruments.

Ways and Means advance enable the government to secure short-term or emergency financing from the CBN to address cash shortfalls.

In March last year, the national assembly securitised about N22.7 trillion CBN Ways and Means advances from the N23.3 trillion previously received from the apex bank to the Nigerian government.

The securitised debt was later transferred to the Debt Management Office (DMO) with a 40-year tenor, a three-year moratorium, and a nine-percent interest rate.

Nigeria successfully repays Chinese, World Bank loans

Legit.ng previously reported that Nigeria spent about 277.64% on external debt servicing in Q3 of 2023, according to data from the Debt Management Office (DMO).

An analysis of the data indicates that external debt servicing stood at $368.26 million in the second quarter of 2023.

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Naira performs better in black market than official window as It gets new ranking in Africa

The figure increased to $1.39 billion, showing a 277.64% rise in the three months under review.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Pascal Oparada avatar

Pascal Oparada (Business editor) For over a decade, Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy. He has worked in many media organizations such as Daily Independent, TheNiche newspaper, and the Nigerian Xpress. He is a 2018 PwC Media Excellence Award winner. Email:pascal.oparada@corp.legit.ng