Kehinde Fajobi
The Federal Government of Nigeria allocated $3.58 billion to service foreign debt in the first nine months of 2024, a significant 39.77% increase from the $2.56 billion spent over the same period in 2023, data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) revealed.
The CBN report showed that the highest monthly foreign debt payment for 2024 was in May, reaching $854.37 million, whereas the peak payment in 2023 was $641.7 million in July.
This trend highlights a mounting burden as Nigeria faces the rising costs of debt obligations, compounded by a depreciating naira.
In January 2024, debt servicing costs saw a sharp 398.89% increase, hitting $560.52 million from $112.35 million in January 2023.
However, February showed a slight decline of 1.84%, with payments decreasing from $288.54 million to $283.22 million.
The pattern continued with fluctuations: March witnessed a 31.04% drop to $276.17 million, while April’s costs soared by 131.77%, reaching $215.2 million.
May’s $854.37 million payment marked the highest monthly outlay, a 286.52% increase from $221.05 million in May 2023.
June saw a modest 6.51% decline, with payments at $50.82 million, while July recorded a 15.48% reduction to $542.5 million.
In August, spending fell by 9.69% to $279.95 million, but September’s payments rose 17.49% to $515.81 million.
Nigeria’s 36 states increased to ₦11.47 trillion by June 2024, reflecting a 14.57% rise from ₦10.01 trillion in December 2023, despite their allocations from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) and internally generated revenues.
External debt for the states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) also grew from $4.61 billion to $4.89 billion in this period, with naira-denominated debt rising by 73.46% due to currency devaluation from ₦899.39/$1 in December 2023 to ₦1,470.19/$1 by June 2024. Domestic debt for the states and FCT, however, fell from ₦5.86 trillion to ₦4.27 trillion.
The rise in foreign debt servicing costs due to exchange rate liberalisation has placed additional strain on states.
According to a BudgIT report, “32 states relied on FAAC receipts for at least 55 per cent of their total revenue, while 14 states relied on FAAC receipts for at least 70 per cent.”
It added, “This over-reliance… accentuates their vulnerability to crude oil-induced shocks and other external shocks.”
The report highlighted that Lagos State leads in foreign debt exposure, with $1.24 billion, or 26.9% of the states’ total foreign debt.