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DMO harps on increased revenue drive to reduce borrowings

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DMO

The Debt Management Office (DMO) has stressed the need for the Federal Government to increase revenue drive to reduce the country’s debt profile and reduce fresh borrowing.

The Director General, DMO, Ms Patience Oniha, said this during a virtual interactive session tagged: “Nigeria moving beyond COVID-19; Opportunities for investors” organised by Coronation Merchant Bank (MB) on Tuesday in Lagos.

Oniha said that government needs to prioritise and invest heavily on sectors capable of generating increased revenue such as agriculture, mining and ICT to grow the economy.

According to her, sectors with robust revenue drivers are better positioned to respond to the risks associated with any transformation and to the urgency created by disruptive events.

Oniha said that the country’s debt profile had been on the increase because of the impact of revenue crash and the crises trailing the coronavirus pandemic on the economy.

She argued that the rate of borrowing had started declining until COVID-19 crisis forced Nigeria, like many other nations, to increase its borrowing in order to stimulate the economy and create more jobs for the people.

“To increase the level of revenue, and the DMO is very much in support of that;  if we grow revenues, then debt service will be lower and debt will be sustainable, but it also means that we may not need to borrow that much.

“The second point which we have put forward to the government is that it cannot finance the projects like it used to.

“Our position for debt sustainability is to grow revenues and begin to work with the private sector to finance capital projects, and that way, the only thing that might increase is the off balance sheet liabilities in terms of guarantees and not on balance sheet borrowing,” Oniha said.

On whether the country will return to the Eurobond market after successful issuances, Oniha said, “We do have 6.18 billion dollars to raise for the 2021 budget but our transaction advisers told us to do 4 billion dollars.

“We were looking to go back at

some point but within one week of pricing, the market headed south and is still in that situation right now.

“Omicron came, Evergrand had some challenges in the market and so it is not exactly good for us to go back, and I can say for this year, we are not approaching the market, but if we do not get the money from the ICM, we can get it from another source.”

“We borrowed more because of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide palliatives, build a vibrant health sector and embark on activities that can create jobs because a lot of people lost their jobs due to the pandemic,” she said.

Oniha admitted that the nation’s growing insecurity poses a threat to investment inflow.

Also speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of FMDQ, Mr Bola Onadele, said government needs to deploy large proportion of its borrowing into the productive sector to stimulate growth.

Onadele said: “Debt is sustainable when a country has the ability and size to meet current and future payment obligation without external assistance and default.

“Debt that is not sustainable has a negative consequence on investment.

“It is important that any country trying to borrow should have a pay back structure because investors in the global market look at capabilities to pay back to see if the country is within the purview of debt to service ratio,” he said.

The Managing Director, Commercio partners Ltd., Mr Steve Osho, said investors consider macro economics and ratings of countries and subnational in determining whether to invest into the country.

Osho said: “In Nigeria, Debt Service to GDP is 90 per cent. What it means is that as you generate N100, N90 is used to service debt and this will definitely affect credit rating. This is a source of concern.”

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Clergy Urged To Put Members’ Welfare Above All Else

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At a solemn ordination service in Abuja, senior church leaders have called on pastors to make the well-being of their congregations a top priority, following the example of Jesus Christ.

Speaking during the priesthood ordination and installation of a Sub Dean at the Cathedral Church of Advent, Life Camp, Abuja, the retired Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Okene, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Ajulo, described pastors as shepherds charged with the care of their flock. He urged them to shun worldly distractions and focus on meeting the spiritual and material needs of their members.

Bishop Ajulo also encouraged the newly ordained priests to remain faithful to their calling by teaching God’s word without compromise.

In his charge, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, urged the new clergy to preach the undiluted gospel and foster religious harmony wherever they serve. He expressed confidence that their new roles would help promote peace and unity in society.

The service also featured prayers for national leaders and divine intervention in addressing the current global economic challenges.

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1,000 Prayer Warriors Storm Ilorin for Tinubu, Nation’s Deliverance

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

In a dramatic show of faith and patriotism, over 1,000 fiery prayer warriors from across Nigeria will descend on Ilorin, Kwara State, this Saturday, lifting their voices in intense intercession for President Bola Tinubu’s success and Nigeria’s survival in the face of biting economic woes and mounting insecurity.

The spiritual siege, themed “Walking in Domini”, is the maiden convention of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), with its Kwara State Chairman, Evangelist Thomas Adeboye, vowing that “heaven will hear and respond to Nigeria’s cry.”

Aside from marathon prayers, the gathering will roll out free medical outreach to locals across Kwara’s LGAs, a gesture aimed at touching both body and soul.

Adeboye, lamenting Nigeria’s “troubling economic and security realities”, called for a nationwide prayer uprising, insisting that Tinubu has shown the will to revive the nation but needs massive divine backing to succeed.

“Banditry, a collapsing economy, and political tension demand we seek God’s face like never before,” he declared. “We will storm heaven for wisdom for the President and governors to steer Nigeria to safety.”

The convention will also feature awards to distinguished personalities, soul-lifting worship, fiery sermons, and unity-driven lectures—all capped with thunderous prayers for Nigeria’s redemption.

Adeboye urged the President to ensure every policy has “a human face,” stressing that Nigerians must not only endure but also enjoy the fruits of governance.

With the OAIC promising to reaffirm believers’ authority in Christ and rally spiritual boldness in the face of national challenges, Ilorin is set to become the epicentre of a powerful spiritual warfare for Nigeria’s destiny.

 

 

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Nigerian Anglicans Condemn Lesbian Archbishop of Wales, Deepening Global Anglican Rift

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…Church leaders accuse Welsh counterparts of “spiritual decadence” and “abandonment of faith”

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has issued a forceful condemnation of the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as the Archbishop of Wales. The move is the latest in a series of developments that have deepened divisions within the global Anglican Communion over sexuality and doctrine.

In a statement from Primate The Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, the church denounced the election as a “serious departure from biblical teaching” and a sign of “spiritual decadence” and “an outright abandonment of the faith once delivered to the saints.”

Archbishop Ndukuba warned that Bishop Vann’s elevation compromises the Anglican Church’s global mission and could obstruct evangelism. He compared the situation to the controversial tenure of Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, who also faced intense criticism from conservative Anglicans for her progressive views.

The Primate accused Bishop Vann of being complicit in the “ongoing crisis” around same-sex issues, stating that the election is a “clear revelation that many who claim to be members of the body of Christ cannot endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

The Church of Nigeria called on Anglicans worldwide to reject “rebels” and “apostates” and to instead support conservative bodies like the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).

“The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemns, unequivocally rejects, and will not recognize the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales,” Ndukuba declared. He concluded with a solemn warning that without repentance, the Church in Wales risks losing “complete relevance” and its leaders will face judgment.

 

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