Economy
Nigeria May Begin to Borrow to Service Debts by 2025—Paul Alaje
By Dipo Olowookere
A renowned economist and Partner at SPM Professional, Mr Paul Alaje, has warned that the debt profile of Nigeria may continue to rise, with the nation not making enough to service it, and resorting to borrowing to pay interests on the borrowings.
He said this when he appeared as a guest on Arise Television’s breakfast programme, The Morning Show, on Monday, January 8, 2024.
Business Post reports that in December 2023, the Debt Management Office (DMO) said Nigeria’s total public debt stock was 87.91 trillion in the third quarter of last year.
It was also reported by this newspaper that after the approval of the securitisation of the N7.5 trillion ways and means by the National Assembly, the debt profile of the country could rise to N95 trillion.
Speaking on Arise TV today, Mr Alaje charged the government of Mr Bola Tinubu to look for innovative ways to generate more revenue for the country, especially from the solid minerals sector, tasking the federal government to slow down its appetite for borrowing and improve its revenue.
“The truth is that, by 2025, we will have to borrow to service debt. What does that mean? We will still put our revenue projection but by the end of 2025, when the 2026 budget is presented, we may need to borrow to service debt, I hope this will not be the situation because it is not a good projection.
“Unfortunately, if we don’t depart from the current situation, this may be where we find ourselves,” he said on the show monitored by Business Post.
Speaking further, he said, “You ask whether the 2024 budget inspires hope and by our training and the oath we swore, it is not for me to say yes or no but there are things we need to look at in the budget to arrive at an answer.
“Nigeria is expected to grow between 7 and 12 per cent gross domestic product (GDP) if we want to be at par with other nations. The budget has said we should grow by over 3 per cent; the inflation, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is expected to be 6 to 9 per cent, but this budget said 21 per cent this year perhaps because it is the first budget of President Tinubu. This budget is already telling us that things are going to be tough, that is the price of commodities you bought in 2023 will increase by an average of 21 per cent in 2024.
“Most importantly, Mr President spoke on the human development index and he said it is the key area he is focusing but let’s zoom on it a little. We are expected to invest between 20 and 25 per cent of our annual budget but when you see what went into education, we are doing less than 6 per cent instead of 15 to 25 per cent.
“Let’s look at health, which should be 15 per cent based on the Abuja Accord but the 2024 budget is doing less than that. Are these inspiring as you asked me earlier? I want to believe his next budget would be better.
“I hope the budget deficit does not increase times two because we have N8 trillion proposed deficit in 2024 but that may rise to about N12 trillion or double. Just write this down and keep it to around November or December when you will see a supplementary budget without revenue expectation as we have done in the last 12 years.
“You should start to see pressure from the end of the first quarter when the government compares its revenue expectations with the actual earnings; there will be a mismatch because fundamentally, there is a need for an adjustment that has not been done,” he stated.
Economy
Petrol Supply up 55.4% as Daily Consumption Reaches 52.1 million Litres
By Adedapo Adesanya
The supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, increased by 55.4 per cent on a month-on-month basis to 71.5 million litres per day in November 2025 from 46 million litres per day in October.
This was contained in the November 2025 fact sheet of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Monday.
The data showed that the nation’s consumption also increased by 44.5 per cent or 37.4 million litres to 52.1 million litres per day in November 2025, against 28.9 million litres in October.
The significant increase in petrol supply last month was on account of the imports by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited into the Nigerian market from both the domestic and the international market.
Domestic refineries supplied in the period stood at 17.1 million litres per day, while the average daily consumption of PMS for the month was 52.9 million litres per day.
The NMDPRA noted that no production activities were recorded in all the state-owned refineries, which included Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, in the period, as the refineries remained shut down.
According to the report, the imports were aimed at building inventory and further guaranteeing supply during the peak demand period.
Other reasons for the increase, according to the NMDPRA, were due to “low supply recorded in September and October 2025, below the national demand threshold; the need for boosting national stock level to meet the peak demand period of end of year festivities, and twelve vessels programmed to discharge into October, which spilled into November.”
On gas, the average daily gas supply climbed to 4.684 billion standard cubic feet per day in November 2025, from the 3.94 bscf/d average processing level recorded in October.
The Nigeria LNG Trains 1-6 also maintained a stable processing output of 3.5 bscf/d in November 2025, but utilisation improved slightly to 73.7 per cent compared with 71.68 per cent in October.
The increase, according to the report, was driven by higher plant utilisation across processing hubs and steady export volumes from the Nigeria LNG plant in Bonny.
“As of November 2025, Nigeria’s major gas processing facilities recorded improved output and utilisation levels, with the Nigeria LNG Trains 1-6 processing 3.50 billion standard cubic feet per day at a utilisation rate of 73.70 per cent.
“Gbaran Ubie Gas Plant processed 1.250 bscf per day, operating at 71.21 per cent utilisation, while the MPNU Bonny River Terminal recorded a throughput of 0.690 bscf per day during the period. Processing activities at the Escravos Gas Plant stood at 0.680 bscf per day, representing a 62 per cent utilisation rate, whereas the Soku Gas Plant emerged as the top performer, processing 0.600 bscf per day at 96.84 per cent utilisation,” it stated.
Economy
Secure Electronic Technology Suspends Share Reconstruction as Investors Pull Out
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The proposed share reconstruction of a local gaming firm, Secure Electronic Technology (SET), has been suspended.
The Lagos-based company decided to shelve the exercise after negotiations with potential investors crumbled like a house of cards.
Secure Electronic Technology was earlier in talks with some foreign investors interested in the organisation.
Plans were underway to restructure the shares of the company, which are listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
However, things did not go as planned as the potential investors pulled out, leaving the board to consider others ways to move the firm forward.
Confirming this development, the company secretary, Ms Irene Attoe, in a statement, said the board would explore other means to keep the company running to deliver value to shareholders.
“This is to notify the NGX and the investing public that a meeting of the board of SET held on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, as scheduled, to consider the status of the proposed share reconstruction and recapitalisation as approved by the members at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on April 16, 2025.
“After due deliberations, the board wishes to announce that the proposed share reconstruction will not take place as anticipated due to the inability of the parties to reach a convergence on the best and mutually viable terms.
“Thus, following an impasse in the negotiations, and the investors’ withdrawal from the transaction, the board has, in the interest of all members, decided to accept these outcomes and move ahead in the overall interest of the business.
“The board is committed to driving the strategic objectives of SEC and to seeking viable opportunities for sustainable growth of the company,” the disclosure stated.
Business Post reports that the share price of SET crashed by 3.85 per cent on Tuesday on Customs Street on Tuesday to 75 Kobo. Its 52-week high remains N1.33 and its one-year low is 45 Kobo. Today, investors transacted 39,331,958 units.
Economy
Clea to Streamline Cross-Border Payments for African Importers
By Adedapo Adesanya
Clea, a blockchain-powered platform that allows African importers to pay international suppliers in USD while settling locally, has officially launched.
During its pilot phase, Clea processed more than $4 million in cross-border transactions, demonstrating strong early demand from businesses navigating the complexities of global trade.
Clea addresses persistent challenges that African importers have long struggled with, including limited FX access, unpredictable exchange rates, high bank charges, fraudulent intermediaries, and payment delays that slow or halt shipments. The continent also faces a trade-finance gap estimated at over $120 billion annually, limiting importers’ ability to access the FX and financial infrastructure needed for timely international payments by offering fast, transparent, and direct USD settlements, completed without intermediaries or banking bottlenecks.
Founded by Mr Sheriff Adedokun, Mr Iyiola Osuagwu, and Mr Sidney Egwuatu, Clea was created from the team’s own experiences dealing with unreliable international payments. The platform currently serves Nigerian importers trading with suppliers in the United States, China, and the UAE, with plans to expand into additional trade corridors.
The platform will allow local payments in Naira with instant access to Dollars as well as instant, same-day, or next-day settlement options and transparent, traceable transactions that reduce fraud risk.
Speaking on the launch, Mr Adedokun said, “Importers face unnecessary stress when payments are delayed or rejected. Clea eliminates that uncertainty by offering reliable, secure, and traceable payments completed in the importer’s own name, strengthening supplier confidence from day one.”
Mr Osuagwu, co-founder & CTO, added, “Our goal is to make global trade feel as seamless as a local transfer. By connecting local currencies to global transactions through blockchain technology, we are removing long-standing barriers that have limited African importers for years.”
According to a statement shared with Business Post, Clea is already working with shipping operators who refer merchants to the platform and is also engaging trade associations and logistics networks in key import hubs. The company remains fully bootstrapped but is open to strategic investors aligned with its mission to build a trusted global payment network for African businesses.
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