Nigeria’s Debt Stock Hits N42.84trn In Q2,Says NBS

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Nigeria’s public debt stock has risen from N35.46 trillion (86.57 billion dollars) in the second quarter of 2021 to N42.84 trillion (103.31 billion dollars) in the corresponding period in 2002.This includes external and domestic debts.

NBS made the declaration in its Nigerian Domestic and Foreign Debt Report for Q2 2021 to Q2 2022 released in Abuja on Wednesday.

It stated that external debt stood at N13.71 trillion (33.46 billion dollars) in the second quarter of 2021 and increased to N16.61 trillion (40.06 billion dollars) in the second quarter of 2022.

The Agency also narrated that domestic debt was N21.75 trillion (53.10 billion dollars) i…
[9:07 PM, 11/9/2022] CNL THOMAS Imonikhet: Insecurity won’t stop 2023 polls, Senate assures Nigerians

The Senate on Wednesday assured Nigerians that the current insecurity in the country will not affect the  smooth conduct of the 2023 general elections.

Chairman, Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Senator Kabiru Gaya, gave the assurance in Abuja.

He spoke with newsmen after he defended his Committee’s budget report before the Committee on the Appropriation.

The Chairman of the Appropriation panel, Senator Barau Jibrin, had during the session, said the Gaya’s committee did a meticulous job.

Gaya, a former governor of Kano State said his committee had series of engagements with INEC management.

The INEC, he said, had presented evidences from various security agencies  that the insecurity situation would not disrupt the polls.

“The general elections will hold in 2023. There is a full assurance that elections would be held in over 95 per cent of the country. The are strategies already to secure areas that are prone to attacks during the election.

“Additional security measures would be put in place to make sure that the polls are free of disruptions,” he stated.

Gaya said that the forthcoming census being planned by the National Population Commission, would not affect the conduct of the election as the two agencies responsible for both the headcount and the polls could also work together.

He said, ”Both the NPC and the INEC could even work together in such a way that there would not be interference. It doesn’t matter if the two exercises are close. They will not be held on the same day.”

He said the additional requests demanded by the INEC concerning the 2023 general elections would be considered by the National Assembly but he did not give details of the amount being sought by the electoral umpire.