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Nigeria’s Debt Per Capita Hits ₦619,501 as Total Public Debt Rises to ₦134 Trillion
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported that Nigeria’s debt per capita now stands at ₦619,501, following a review of the country’s debt portfolio for the second quarter of 2024.
The Debt Management Office (DMO) disclosed that Nigeria’s total public debt has surged to ₦134.297 trillion as of June 2024, marking an increase of ₦13 trillion from the previous quarter’s total of ₦121 trillion.
Based on Nigeria’s estimated population of 216.7 million, the debt per person averages ₦619,501. The DMO’s report breaks down the debt into domestic and external components: domestic debt stands at ₦71.2 trillion, while external debt totals ₦63 trillion.
Within the external debt figure, the federal government owes ₦55.8 trillion, and states owe ₦7.1 trillion.
Domestically, the federal government’s debt is significantly higher at ₦66.9 trillion, with states owing ₦4.2 trillion.
The rising debt has reignited discussions around Nigeria’s reliance on borrowing, with increased calls for the government to explore sustainable financing strategies to reduce the debt burden on citizens.
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
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