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.

The new Central Bank of Nigeria building in Port Harcourt. Photo: Chris Monyanaga