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Debt Crisis Looms In States As Borrowings Outweigh Revenue

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7 years ago

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There is a looming debt crisis in states as available figures indicate that their borrowings have far exceeded total revenues.
According to data from the National Bureau of statistics (NBS), the total debt of the states stood at over N7 trillion, as at the end of 2017, while total revenue for the period amounted to N2.67 trillion – N1.74 trillion from the federation account and N936 billion as total internally generated revenue.
The states with higher debt to revenue are Osun, Ekiti, Plateau, Cross River, Zamfara, Kogi, Imo, Oyo, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Gombe, Abia, Edo, Bayelsa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Ogun, Enugu, Borno and Ondo, as contained in the NBS data.
With the total internally generated revenue of the states at N936, 471,407,367.06 compared to the total debt stock (N3.25 trillion), analysts raise concerns that most of the states cannot function without monthly the Federal Government allocation.
According to data from the Debt Management Office (DMO), the states debt, however, account for 21.77 percent of the country’s total debt stock.
Business analyst, Godwin Emmanuel Oyedokun, fears that there may soon be crisis in the states as the government is obviously incurring debt than their revenue, stressing that most of these borrowings are often not necessary.
According to Oyedokun, “The states are not doing well as regards their internally generated revenue, which means the states may continue to be poor as they are expected to keep servicing the debt. The borrowings most times are not necessary only that some governors are borrowing to do projects to show that they are working, and raising debt for the subsequent government after them.”
The states’ 2017 total debt stock was N58 billion higher than their total revenues in the same year. The total debt stock comprised of external debts and domestic debts, while the total revenue included revenues from net Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations, and internally generated revenue (IGR).
“These debts acquired were not in the favour of the states or the people, it is political,” Oyedokun stresses.
BusinessDay further analysis of the NBS revenue/debt data shows that in 2017, while Osun recorded a total revenue of N22.167 million, its debt stood at N138.336 million. Ekiti State’s total revenue stood at N30.601 million, but with a N117.573 million debt. Plateau State’s total revenue was reported at N40.408 million, but total debt settled at N122.379 million.
Cross River recorded a total revenue of N41.556 million and N125.81 million debt; Zamfara revenue stood at N34.476 million and N69.958 million debt.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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24 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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24 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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24 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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