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Economy

13 new governors borrowed N226.8bn in six months – DMO

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In the first six months after taking office, 13 new state governors collectively borrowed N226.8bn from domestic and external financiers.

This emerged as findings by Sunday PUNCH showed that 16 state governors also increased the debt profile of their states by N509.3bn with domestic and external debt of N243.95bn and $298.5m (N265.37bn), respectively.

The external debt was calculated based on the exchange rate of N889/$ used by the Debt Management Office in its report.

This is according to an analysis of the latest sub-national debt reports released by the DMO.

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The sub-national debts are classified into domestic borrowings from local creditors and external borrowings from international creditors like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The domestic and external debts published on the DMO’s website were as of December 30 and June 30, 2023, respectively.

The states, which include Benue, Cross Rivers, Katsina, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Zamfara, and the Federal Capital Territory, got N115.57bn from domestic creditors, while governors of Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara states borrowed $125.1m (N111.24bn) from external sources.

For the sub-nationals, a further breakdown of the data showed that Cross Rivers Governor, Bassey Otu, took the highest loan, with N16.2bn from domestic and $57.95m from foreign creditors between June and December 2023.

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Katsina State followed with the debt surging by N36.93bn from N62.37bn to N99.3bn by December 2023.

Third on the list is Niger State, with a domestic debt of N17.85bn, surging from N121.95bn in June 2023 to N139.8bn by December of the same year.

Plateau got N16.32bn; Rivers borrowed N7.07bn; Zamfara, N14.26bn; and the FCT under the leadership of Nyesom Wike borrowed N6.75bn from domestic creditors.

For foreign debt, Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State accumulated external debt of $37.54m, while Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State borrowed $17.69m from external financiers.

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Similarly, the governors of Kano borrowed $6.6m; Niger, $1.27m; Plateau, $831,008; Sokoto, $499,472; Taraba, $1.51m; and Zamfara, $655,563, from external sources.

Despite declarations by the administration of President Bola Tinubu that it would not continue with the massive borrowings of the previous government to fund its expenditures, the latest developments show that the new government is sticking to the controversial policy amidst increased revenue.

In 2023, state governors got the most Federal Account Allocation Committee allocations in at least seven years. The rise in FAAC allocations to the three tiers of government, especially the states, followed the removal of subsidy on petrol and currency reforms by the Tinubu administration. The reforms have reportedly led to a 40 per cent boost in income.

An analysis of the 2023 FAAC monthly allocations revealed that the sub-national and local government councils got the highest allocation of N627.73bn in September, followed by N610.5bn in December, N555.75bn in August, N533bn in November, N514bn in July and N497.97bn in October.

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Economy

See Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, September 9, 2026

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The Naira yesterday appreciated to N1,387 per dollar from N1,390 in the parallel market on Monday.

Similarly, the naira appreciated to N1,322.9 per dollar in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, NFEM.

Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, showed that the indicative exchange rate for the naira fell to N1,322.9 per dollar from N1,320 per dollar on Monday, indicating N2.9 appreciation for the local currency.

Consequently, the margin between the parallel and official markets narrowed to N64.1 per dollar from N70 per dollar on Monday. The value of interbank turnover in NFEM declined by 48.07 percent to $55.6 million from $107.07 million on Monday.

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Economy

CBN tightens watch on banks over terrorism financing

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced that it will be paying closer attention to how banks and other financial institutions in the country are being used, or misused, to move money that could fund terrorism.

In a statement signed by Hakama Sidi-Ali, Acting Director of the apex bank’s Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Department on Tuesday, the CBN said it has made terrorism financing supervision one of its current priorities. According to the statement, this is part of the bank’s “ongoing commitment to protecting the Nigerian financial system from abuse by illicit actors.”

What this means in plain terms is that the CBN will be looking more closely at how banks identify and manage the risk of their platforms being used to fund terrorism, how well they monitor suspicious transactions linked to terrorism financing, how they carry out sanctions ordered against specific individuals or groups, and how promptly they report suspicious activity connected to terrorism financing.

The statement explained that this new push covers four broad areas: how financial institutions manage terrorism financing risk, how they monitor transactions for signs of terrorism financing, how they carry out targeted financial sanctions, and how they report suspicious transactions linked to terrorism.

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The apex bank said it will not be sitting back and waiting for problems to surface on their own. Instead, it plans to use a risk-based approach, which means banks and institutions seen as more exposed to this kind of risk will attract closer attention.

This will involve both on-site inspections, where CBN officials visit institutions directly, and off-site checks, where the bank reviews reports and data from a distance.

The goal, the statement said, is to support “effective Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism and Countering Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF) controls across the financial sector,” referring to the fight against money laundering, terrorism financing, and the financing of weapons proliferation, all of which are governed by existing Nigerian laws and regulations.

The CBN also linked this move to Nigeria’s wider efforts, both at home and internationally, to fight terrorism financing and the financing of weapons proliferation, and to protect the integrity of the country’s financial system.

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The apex Bank did not name any specific institution under investigation or give a timeline for these actions, but noted that “further supervisory engagement will be undertaken as appropriate,” suggesting that more steps could follow depending on what its checks turn up.

For the ordinary Nigerian, the announcement signals that the CBN wants banks to be more careful and more accountable in how they track the movement of money through the financial system, particularly where there is any possible link to terrorism or the funding of violent groups.

It is also a reminder that financial institutions operating in Nigeria are expected to follow strict rules designed to keep the banking system safe from being used for illegal purposes.

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Economy

FG increases pension for soldiers

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The Federal Government has approved a new pensionable salary structure for personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

The new structure affects personnel in the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force and took effect from September 1, 2026.

The approval was contained in a circular issued on September 3 by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.

Under the new arrangement, Generals, Admirals and Air Chief Marshals occupy the highest level, with their annual pensionable salaries ranging from ₦21.9 million to ₦29.75 million, depending on their salary steps.

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The highest figure works out to roughly ₦2.48 million per month when divided by 12.

Lieutenant Generals, Vice Admirals and Air Marshals will have annual pensionable salaries between ₦16.99 million and ₦25.91 million.

Major Generals, Rear Admirals and Air Vice Marshals will receive pensionable salaries ranging from about ₦14.98 million to ₦23.9 million annually.

For Brigadier Generals, Commodores and Air Commodores, the approved annual pensionable figures range from ₦13.86 million to ₦16.39 million.

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Colonels, Captains and Group Captains will have annual pensionable salaries between ₦8.31 million and ₦9.49 million, while Lieutenant Colonels, Commanders and Wing Commanders will fall between ₦7.55 million and ₦8.74 million.

Majors, Lieutenant Commanders and Squadron Leaders will have pensionable salaries ranging from ₦5.99 million to ₦7.01 million annually.

Captains, Lieutenants and Flight Lieutenants will receive between ₦5.28 million and ₦6.42 million.

At the junior officer level, Second Lieutenants, Midshipmen and Pilot Officers will have annual pensionable salaries ranging from ₦4.92 million to ₦5.59 million.

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The new structure also covers non-commissioned personnel.

Warrant Officers across the three services will have annual pensionable salaries between ₦4.53 million and ₦5.17 million, while Master Warrant Officers will receive between ₦3.94 million and ₦4.93 million.

Warrant Officers will have annual pensionable salaries ranging from ₦3.46 million to ₦4.35 million. Staff Sergeants, Petty Officers and Flight Sergeants will have figures between ₦2.98 million and ₦3.76 million.

Sergeants and Leading Seamen will have annual pensionable salaries ranging from ₦2.81 million to ₦3.16 million, while Corporals and Able Seamen will receive between ₦2.48 million and ₦2.73 million.

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Lance Corporals and Seamen will have pensionable salaries between ₦2.32 million and ₦2.58 million annually.

Privates, Ordinary Seamen and Aircraftmen will have figures ranging from ₦2.28 million to ₦2.49 million.

The government clarified that the amounts contained in the new schedule are meant for calculating pension benefits.

They should not be treated as the actual monthly salaries or take-home pay of serving military personnel.

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