Business
CBN Restricts Banks’ Lending Rates To States, LGs
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has mulled out a new directive on lending to the private sector. The CBN in a circular signed by its director on Banking Supervision, Mr. D.A.N Eke, limited the lending capacities of banks to state and local governments by reducing it to 10 per cent. The implications of this new directive are a huge reduction in the funds that banks can give out as loans to government and its agencies. The new directive will also reduce the government’s access to funds and curtail its spending. While the directive in a way would reduce profligate and senseless and/or needless requests of many a state or local government for bank loans, it would have serious effects on the programmes of such a government.
The CBN had through the directive instructed banks to limit loans to the public sector to 10 per cent of their overall credit portfolios. This sector includes the 36 states and all the 774 local governments in the federation.
This directive from the apex bank, according to Reuters, is an apparent effort to divert more funds to the private sector. According to the circular to banks, where the existing credit limit to the public sector had exceeded 10 per cent, it should be brought down to the new maximum limit by the end of the year.
“The Central Bank will be constrained to reintroduce measures to curb public sector loans if banks do not put in place appropriate measures to avoid excessive exposure to the sector”, its director of banking supervision said in the letter.
The directive comes weeks after Lamido Sanusi, the former Managing Director of First Bank who has worked in the Nigerian banking sector for more than two decades, took over as Central Bank governor.
Sanusi, who built a reputation for strong corporate governance and conservative lending strategies at First Bank, has made improving banking supervision and disclosure a priority.
Many Nigerian banks lent short-term loans to some of the country’s 36 state governments ahead of elections in 2007, in some cases saddling themselves with debts, which were not repaid.
“Banks are reminded of the history of non-performing public sector credits and are, therefore, strongly advised to exercise caution and set a more conservative threshold to avoid the mistakes of the past,” the circular said.
Nigeria’s next national elections are due in 2011. Private sector credit outstripped government spendings in Nigeria for the first time last year, making the banking system the key driver of growth in the country.
But risk management and disclosure levels have not kept pace with explosive balance sheet growth since consolidation in the sector four years ago, fuelling mistrust between counterparts.
The global downturn has also led to a reduction in foreign credit lines and higher risk provisioning for non-performing loans contributing to a tightening of liquidity.
Business
Food Vendors, Others Relocate To New Site At PH Airport
The raging controversy between the Port Harcourt International Airport Management and restaurants/canteen operators and theirallies over relocation has been brought under control, as the operators have commenced relocation to their structures at the new site.
Recall that there had been serious feud over a directive by the Manager of the airport, Mr. Michael Area, for food vendors and their allies to relocate to the new site.
They insisted that the new site was too distant and hence, would negatively affect patronage from customers, with possible loss.
They further also insisted that it wouldcost them much money to put up another structure, given the economic situation in the country, since the airport management did not build any structure for them, apart from providing the empty land they have to also pay for.
The situation had led to flexing of muscles, which made the Airport Manager to order for sealing of all shops, resulting in scarcity of food, as airport users could not find a place to eat, apart from the only Genesis fast food spot available.
As at last Friday, The Tide observed that most of the food vendors had transferred their structures to the new place, and had started doing business there already.
Meanwhile, customers have started settling down at the new location as they were seen patronising shops for foods and drinks, in spite of the distance.
Few of the remaining structures at the old site, The Tide further gathered, will also be removed as quickly as possible, and the owners are making efforts to get funds for the job to be done.
One of them, Mrs Aka Love explained that she was going to relocate to the new place before the end of March.
Currently, business activities at the old site have come to null, as the place which was usually a beehive of food, drinks and relaxation, has completely winded down.
By: Corlins Walter
Business
MOWCA Strengthens Maritime Crime Prevention
Secretary General of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), Dr. Paul Adalikwu, has stepped up interaction with the United States Government to lift restrictions placed on some member countries allegedly implicated in illicit shipping activities.
Adalikwu, who led a delegation from the MOWCA Secretariat to the US Embassy in Abidjan for a first leg of the strategic consultation aimed at promoting seamless participation of MOWCA countries in international trade within the global maritime space, reiterated the organisation’s commitment to the best ethical and lawful maritime practices.
Addressing the U.S Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, H.E Mrs Jessica Davis Ba, the MOWCA SG stated the organisation’s interest in promoting the International Ship and Port facility Security (ISPS) code which aims at enhancing security of vessels and their ports of call.
He expressed the commitment of MOWCA in promoting environmentally friendly, safe and cost effective shipping without any encumbrance that may limit the economic potential of member countries.
Dr Adalikwu recalled that at the instance of the U.S. Department of State invitation, MOWCA participated in the 2023 Registry Information Sharing Compact (RISC) Conference in Larnaca, Cyprus, on February 28–March 1, 2023, and a virtual meeting held on June 6 2023, with Mrs Jennifer Chalmers, Officer in change of Counterproliferation Initiative.
He recalled The U.S. DOS willingness to support MOWCA’s effort for preventive maritime security through the establishment of the Center for Information and Communication (CINFOCOM) with the aim to ensure a maritime situational awareness domain within MOWCA’s member states’ waters.
He added that MOWCA under his watch is committed to training and retraining of maritime practitioners and experts to enhance the human capital capabilities of member states.
The CINFOCOM will help prevent transnational crimes committed at sea like sanctions evasion by North Korea and other state actors, who exploit poor enforcement due diligence by ship open registries to circumvent United Nations and U.S. trade restrictions.
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Business
Nigeria’s Public Debt Hits N97.3trn – DMO
The Debt Management Office (DMO) has hinted that Nigeria’s public debt increased by 10.7 per cent from N87.87 trillion in the third quarter of last year, to N97.34 trillion as at December 31, 2023.
DMO, in an update data released last Friday, said the increase in the debt stock was largely due to new domestic borrowing by the Federal Government to part finance the deficit in the 2024 Appropriation Act and disbursements by multilateral and bilateral lenders.
The office noted that the N97.3 trillion public debt comprises of domestic debt of N59.12 trillion and external debt of N38.22 trillion. The sum of $3.5 billion was used to service external debt during the review period.
“Nigeria’s Public Debt Stock as at December 31, 2023 was N97.34trillion or $108.229 billion. This amount comprises the domestic and external debt stocks of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), the 36 States Governments, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“There was an increase of N9.43 trillion over the comparative figure for September, 2023, which was largely due to new domestic borrowing by the FGN to part finance the deficit in the 2024 Appropriation Act and disbursements by multilateral and bilateral lenders.
“At N59.12 trillion, total domestic debt accounted for 61 percent of the total public debt stock, while external debt at N38.22 trillion accounted for the balance of 39 percent.
“Consistent with the debt management strategy, Nigeria’s external debt stock was skewed in favour of loans from multilateral (49.77 percent) and bilateral lenders (14.02 percent) or total of 63.79 percent which are mostly concessional and semi-concessional.
“Whilst the DMO continues to employ best practice in public debt management, the recent and on-going efforts of the fiscal authorities to shore up revenue will support debt sustainability”, DMO stated.
By: Corlins Walter
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