President Muhammadu Buhari has requested the Senate’s approval  to borrow the sum of five billion, five hundred million dollars from external financial sources, to fund  capital projects in  the 2017 budget and to finance local debts as well.
President Buhari in a letter read to the Senate by  the  President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki yesterday, said the external loan are expected to come  in two parts .
First is $3.0 billion for re-financing of maturing domestic debt obligations of the Federal Government, and  the second part of $2.5 billion for the financing of the Federal Government’s 2017 Appropriation Act and Capital Expenditure projects in the Act.
According to the letter, the request for the external loan of three billion was based on the resolution arrived at by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in its meeting held on August 9.
As stated in the letter,  the $2.5billion would be borrowed from international capital market, through Eurobonds or a combination of Eurobond and diaspora bonds, while , the $3 billion would be sourced from Eurobond in the international market, and, or through loan syndication by banks.
According to the  letter, the $2.5 billion external loan would be used to finance the deficit in the 2017 Appropriation Act and provide funding for the capital projects in the budget, which it listed to include Mambilla Hydropower Project, construction of a second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international Airport.
Other projects to be funded by this loan are: counterpart funding for rail projects and the construction of the Bodo-Bonny Road, with a bridge across the Opobo Channel.
The three billion dollars , President Buhari said would be used for the re-financing of domestic debts would be used to reduce the debt service levels and lengthen the tenure profile of the debt stock, hence the federal government seeks to substitute maturing domestic debt with less expensive long term external debt.
Buhari in the letter also told  the Senate that the loan request would not lead to increase in the public debt portfolio of the country,
According to him ,  the substitution of domestic debt with relatively cheaper and longer term external debt will lead to a significant decrease in debt service cost, adding that the proposed refinancing of domestic debt through external debt will also achieve more stability in the debt stock while also creating more borrowing space in the domestic market for the private sector.
”It is important to note that the proposed sourcing of three billion dollars loan from external sources to refinance maturing domestic debt will not lead to an increase in the public debt portfolio because the debt already exists, albeit in the form of high interest short term domestic debt”.He wrote.
However,  terms and conditions of the borrowing as indicated in the letter  can only be determined at the point of issuance of finalization based on prevailing market conditions in the International Capital Market.
President Buhari futher urged the Senate to give the request expeditious consideration and ,as he  reminded them to note that the external loan terms is a market based transaction specifically determined by the timing and prevailing conditions of the capital market at the time .
Meanwhile, Senate yesterday approved a budget of N152.8 billion for the 2017 expenditure of the Federal Inland Revenue (FIRS).
The approved budget indicates
a total of N31 billion representing 20.33 of the total budget mapped out for capital budget.
Following the report and recommendation of the Senate Finance committee, the Senate approved N75.8 billion as personnel cost which is 49.58 percent, N46 billion for overhead cost also of 30.09 percent.
The personnel cost however increased from N51.8 billion in 2016, to N75.8 billion in 2017 due “to the planned recruitment of 700 additional staff in 2017 and upward review of salary by 30% as approved by Salary, Wages and Income Commission,”
The FIRS has a projection of N4.9 trillion of revenue in its 2017 budget.
The Nigerian Senate also approved the sum of N270.5billion budget for the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) for the year 2017.
The NPA also has  a revenue projection of N288.7billion in the year 2017
Also N161.9 billion was approved for the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) with a projected revenue of N161.9 billion for 2017.
In his remarks at plenary, the  President of the Senate , Bukola Saraki noted that it is necessary for revenue generating agencies to live up to their mandates as this would reduce the need for borrowing by the Federal Government.
Saraki said the Senate would ensure through its oversight functions that  the agencies live up to expectations.

Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi