—A four-year-old girl, Uloma Igwe, was reportedly sold to a widow, Nwali Josephine, for N100 in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

THE management of Eko Electricity Distribution Companies, EKEDC, has urged security agencies to pay their outstanding debt.

ECONOMISTt and financial analyst, Mr. Opeyemi Agbaje, has criticized the federal government’s debt-led economic strategy, advocating an investment-led strategy in managing the nation’s economy.

THE announcement by the Federal Government in November last year that it borrowed N9.18tn in just 10 months should send a shock wave throughout the land. That amount is more than the budget for 2017 and even exceeds the 2018 recently presented to the National Assembly.

OWERRI—CAPTAINS of industry in Imo State, under the aegis of Imo Economic Development Initiative,IEDI, have raised the alarm over rising domestic debt of Imo State, which they allege has hit N93.27 billion.

LAGOS—IN an apparent reflection of increased economic activities mirrored by the country’s recovery from recession in the second quarter of the year, the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of 33 states has risen by 17 per cent to N397 billion, year-on-year in the first half of the year (H1 2017).

he Anambra government has said it will spend between N60 and N70 million monthly to service its domestic and external debts.

THE Senate, yesterday, approved an external loan of $5.5 billion to enable the Federal Government finance the 2017 budget and refinance the foreign debts.

In an interview published in a national daily (not Vanguard) on Monday, November  6, 2017, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof Kingsley Moghalu, exercised his inalienable freedom of expression on some national issues, especially in the areas of youth empowerment, citizens’ obligation to pay taxes, unemployment, leadership and public policies. As a former public official and academic, Prof Moghalu, more than qualifies to voice his enlightened opinion on these and many more socio-economic subjects of concern.

Oando Plc has recorded impressive third quarter 2017 financials as turnover increased by 16 per cent to N383.5 billion from N329.9 billion in comparative period of 2016.

THERE are indications that many problems, including liquidity, vandalism and huge debt have constrained operators from supplying adequate power to Nigerians. Mr. Chiedu Ugbo, managing mirector of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, who put the indebtedness to his company alone at N105 billion said these and others have constrained it from making more impact in the sector.

Barely eleven years ago, Nigeria was compelled by pressure, from International creditors, particularly the London and Paris club, to ‘voluntarily’ part with almost $12.4bn allegedly owed, so that another $18bn debt could be written off, from the country’s total external debt of about $30bn.

THE recent announcement by the Federal Minister of Finance of the government’s decision to refinance the country’s debt by borrowing dollars at seven per cent instead of locally at between 13 and 18.5 per cent would have been commendable if it was not just a mere paper exercise which would still not reduce the quantum of debt the country is owing. On paper it would reduce the cost of borrowing, but at maturity it would require the country to source for dollars to repay.

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, Sunday, expressed concern over Nigeria’s level of indebtedness, declaring that Nigeria’s debt in relation to revenues appears to have reached critical levels.

The federal government has said that it would constantly watch over the nation’s debt sustainability indices, while borrowing to finance the budget deficit. The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, said this at the National Round-table on Inflation and unveiling of the book “ Inflation & Structure of Aggregate Output,” by the out-going Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO), Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, in Abuja, Thursday night.