Senate rubber stamps Buhari’s request to borrow extra N2.3 trillion
The Senate on Wednesday approved the request of President Muhammadu to borrow N2,343,387,942,848, to partly finance the 2021 federal budget size of N13 trillion.
The Senate resolution followed the approval of its Committee on Local and Foreign Loans as presented by the Chairman, Clifford Ordia.
The committee okayed Buhari’s request for the issuance of $3,000,000,000 but not more than $6,183,081,643.40 Eurobond in the international capital market.
The external borrowing of N2,343,387,942,848, according to the panel, should be for the financing of part of the deficit authorised in the 2021 Appropriation Act.
The committee also recommended that the Senate should approve that the amount authorised may be raised from multiple sources such as the international capital market and any other multilateral or bilateral sources as may be available.
It also recommended that the Senate directs the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the Director General of the Debt Management Office and the Governor the Central Bank of Nigeria to submit to the National Assembly within 10 working days (excluding the day of close of trading) a letter containing the United State Dollars amount so raised and received as a result of the above approval together with the applicable exchange rate.
