Business
‘Nigeria’s N6trn Debt Manageable’
The Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, says Nigeria’s N6 trillion debt profile was “very manageable’’.
Okonjo-Iweala stated this in Abuja yesterday at the ministerial platform to commemorate the 2012 Democracy Day and the one-year anniversary of President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
She, however, expressed concern over the country’s rising domestic debt.
Quoting the Debt Management Office (DMO),she revealed that Nigeria’s external debt stock is $5.6 billion while the domestic debt stock is put at N5.96 trillion.
The coordinating minister of the economy noted that the public debt at 17 per cent of GDP ratio was still far below the 30 per cent target set by the Federal Government for borrowing.
“We should not be complacent; we want to watch our domestic debt.
“Within that category our foreign borrowing is only about 2 per cent, so we are doing very well in terms of keeping our foreign debts very low.
“But on the domestic side, we have been experiencing a relatively significant increase, that is where we want to watch so that we don’t have a borrowing that is too much of what we can sustain. ’’
Okonjo-Iweala assured Nigerians that government would ensure progressive decline in fiscal deficit in the subsequent budgets up till 2015.
She added that in this year’s budget, domestic borrowing declined from N852.27 billion in 2011 to N744.44 billion.
On revenue, she said government was targeting N400 billion as internally generated revenues from government agencies this year.
“We are expecting revenue generating agencies within government to send to the federal coffers a minimum of 25 per cent of their gross revenue.
“This is what Mr President has asked us to do and we are going to that, ’’ she added.
The minister also projected that the country’s economy would grow by 7.2 to 8 per cent this year, with a low inflation rate of at least 9 per cent.
She expressed the hope that the growth in the economy would be inclusive by providing jobs and reducing the poverty rate in the country.
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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the Revised 2025 National Migration Policy (NMP), marking a major step by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to strengthen Nigeria’s migration governance and maximise the economic and social benefits of migration.
The policy, adopted at the FEC meeting on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, replaces the National Migration Policy introduced in 2015 and provides an updated framework for addressing emerging migration trends, protecting migrants and promoting safe, orderly and regular migration.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, described the approval as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to translate its international migration commitments into coordinated action at home.
In a statement issued Friday by his Senior Technical Adviser on Information Systems and Data Analysis, Dr Abimbola Fasanu, Doro said the revised policy would strengthen migrant protection, support return and reintegration, improve migration data and create opportunities to harness migration and diaspora resources for national development.
The minister linked the development to Nigeria’s participation in the 2026 International Migration Review Forum (IMRF), held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in May.
Doro led Nigeria’s delegation to the forum and served as Co-Chair of Roundtable 3, where the country showcased progress in implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).
“Our participation at the International Migration Review Forum demonstrated Nigeria’s commitments to the world. The adoption of the Revised National Migration Policy brings those commitments home and provides the national framework for translating them into coordinated and measurable action.
“Migration should not become a journey into vulnerability. Our responsibility is to build systems that enable Nigerians to migrate safely and regularly, protect those who move, support those who return, and harness migration as a force for national development,” Doro said.
He stressed that the ultimate measure of the policy would be its impact on Nigerians at home and abroad.
The revised policy emerged from a broad consultation involving Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), state governments, civil society organisations, academia, international development partners and other stakeholders in Nigeria’s migration ecosystem.
The review was coordinated by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), with technical support from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The revised policy and its Integrated Implementation Plan were validated by stakeholders at the Technical Working Group on Migration and Development meeting in Abuja on April 29, 2025.
The framework is expected to improve institutional coordination, strengthen Nigeria’s response to changing migration patterns and align national migration priorities with regional and international frameworks, particularly the Global Compact.
Doro commended the NCFRMI, government agencies, IOM, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders for their contributions to the policy review.
He said the new framework would improve assistance for Nigerians returning from abroad, strengthen migration and diaspora data, promote safer migration pathways and improve coordination among federal, state and local governments.
Federal Commissioner of NCFRMI, Dr Tijani Aliyu Ahmed, also welcomed the FEC approval, describing it as the culmination of years of technical work, consultation and collaboration among stakeholders.
According to him, the decision provides fresh impetus for coordinated implementation at federal, state and local levels while strengthening Nigeria’s ability to protect migrants and vulnerable populations and maximise the developmental gains of migration.
“With the policy now approved, attention shifts to implementation, monitoring and localisation.
The approval demonstrated the Tinubu administration’s commitment to strengthening institutions and converting Nigeria’s international obligations into practical national policies.
“This approval is not the end of the process. It is the beginning of the most important phase: implementation,” he said.
“Our responsibility now is to ensure that the policy moves beyond paper and becomes a living framework that protects Nigerians, strengthens coordination, creates safer migration pathways and enables our country to harness migration as an instrument of development.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
A group under the aegis of the Greater Ogonis in Diaspora Organizations (GODO) has called for full transparency and accountability in the ongoing dialogue over the proposed resumption of oil production in Ogoniland, demanding disclosure of employment opportunities, contracts, confidence-building projects and other oil-related activities.
The group made the demand in a statement signed by its President, Chief Ambrose Kii and made available to the public in Port Harcourt , at the weekend.
GODO said the concerns raised by the President of KAGOTE, Chief Lesi Maol, a member of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee, Rev. Msgr. Pius Kii, and KAGOTE Second Vice President and ODC member, Rear Admiral John Nicholas Bakpo (rtd.), had reinforced the need to protect the collective interests of the Ogoni people.
The group stressed that its position should not be interpreted as opposition to the Federal Government or the proposed return of oil production to Ogoniland, but as a demand for a process that is transparent, equitable,
environmentally responsible and capable of delivering lasting benefits to the people.
It expressed particular concern over reports concerning 40 employment opportunities reportedly allocated to Ogoni youths by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) as part of confidence-building measures.
GODO demanded the public disclosure of the identities of the beneficiaries, their communities and local government areas, as well as the criteria used in selecting them and the process through which the list was approved.
It also called for an investigation into allegations that 18 of the 40 employment slots were allegedly allocated to persons who are not Ogonis, stressing that such a serious allegation should not be ignored if confidence in the dialogue process is to be sustained.
The organisation said any diversion of opportunities specifically meant for Ogoni youths would constitute a breach of trust, insisting that all beneficiaries and the basis of their selection should be subjected to appropriate scrutiny.
It further raised concerns over reports that oil-related activities may have commenced in some parts of Ogoniland while negotiations between the Federal Government and representatives of the Ogoni people are still ongoing.
The group maintained that critical issues relating to participation, equity, community benefits, environmental safeguards and other conditions for the resumption of oil production must be resolved before irreversible decisions are taken.
According to GODO, allowing oil activities to proceed while fundamental negotiations remain inconclusive could create a situation where Ogoni stakeholders are eventually confronted with decisions that have already been taken without their full participation.
The organisation also demanded comprehensive details of the confidence-building projects reportedly being executed across Ogoniland, including their locations, contractors, scope, funding arrangements and implementation status.
It said concerns raised by Rear Admiral Bakpo, who reportedly complained that despite being a member of the ODC and a monitoring team for confidence-building projects in Khana, he was allegedly unaware of the contractors and scope of projects he was expected to monitor, required urgent attention.
GODO also called for clarification of the reported harmonisation arrangement involving individuals allegedly outside the ODC, urging the Office of the National Security Adviser to clarify whether it authorised the composition of the controversial list and, if not, establish how the names became associated with the office.
The group urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to review the emerging concerns, saying the Ogoni people have waited for decades for a credible resolution and should not be pressured into accepting an arrangement that fails to guarantee justice, transparency, meaningful participation, environmental protection and equitable benefits.
King Onunwor
The management of Save a Life Hospital has unveiled a fully digitalised medical facilities to enhance effective medical services and treatments for its patients across the globe.
The Founder and Director of the foundation, Dr Richard Okoye who conducted journalists round the facilities at the hospital in Port Harcourt, Friday, said the unveiling of the digital facilities was a dream come through and a commitment to international best practices.
He said the breakthrough makes save a Life hospital th.e first fully digitalised hospital in Africa, adding that the hospital will remain committed to research, innovation and excellence service delivery.
Briefing newsmen at the hospital, Dr Okoye disclosed that Nigeria was rated globally to have the lowest life expectancy after Afghanistan, adding that the situation was worsened by the mass flight of doctors from Nigeria to seek greener pastures out the country, known as jakpa syndrome.
According to Dr Okoye, part of the innovations recorded by safe a Life Foundation is the introduction of a medical application known as ‘my home clinic’ which avails patients the opportunity to engage medical facilities and enjoy medical services from their homes.
The renown medical practitioner pointed out that proper information management is applied to check misdiagnosis, minimize hytrogenic deaths and other tactical errors of medical enquiry; and practice.
He emphasised that the home delivery of medical services has also enhanced zero maternal mortality, as proper digital records of pregnant women are carried out with precision and followed up with proper medical services.
Dr Okoye called on governments and other stakeholders to key into the innovation to get it properly domesticated in tertiary, secondary and primary health care practices, adding that the target is to bridge the gap in jakpa syndrome and shore up Nigeria’s life expectancy ratio by reducing preventable deaths.
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