How did the Nigerian government spend all its loans?
Assessing the impact of government's borrowing and spending.

Key questions this article answers:

  1. With the FG’s ways and means financing currently securitised, how bad is Nigeria’s debt situation?

  2. What is responsible for the significant rise in FG spending over the last eight years?


Guardrails are the unsung heroes of modern transportation, the unassuming barriers that line our roads to prevent us from accidents. In other parts of our lives, we also have guardrails. They are accountability partners stop us from making wrong decisions or lawmakers that prevent a government from driving the country into a fiscal ditch. 

Unfortunately, Nigeria's fiscal guardrails haven’t done an excellent job of keeping the country out of disaster.

Last week, Nigerian lawmakers finally approved securitising the federal government’s ₦22.7 trillion ways and means financing, meaning the government can convert the short-term loan facility to a 40-year bond. According to the CBN Act, ways and means is an overdraft from the CBN to the

This story is only available to Premium subscribers Subscribe or sign in to finish reading

Not ready to subscribe? Register to read a selection of free stories

Gbemisola Alonge

Gbemisola Alonge

Read Latest

Weekly Africa Macro Update: October 27 - October 31, 2025

PREMIUM - 03 NOV 2025

Pricing sustainability: ESG’s impact on West African M&A

PREMIUM - 31 OCT 2025

Edible Oils in West & Southern Africa — Business Model, Growth, Competition (October 2025)

PREMIUM - 29 OCT 2025

Weekly Africa Macro Update: October 20 - October 24, 2025

PREMIUM - 27 OCT 2025

Download our mobile app for a more immersive reading experience

Scan QR code
mobile download