The Federal Government recorded N485.51bn fiscal deficit in January, statistics obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria have shown.
According to the monthly economic report for January released by the CBN on Friday, the low revenue performance in January was due to the decline in non-oil receipts following the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on business activities and the resultant shortfall in tax revenues.
Part of the report read, “Federally collected revenue in January 2021 was N807.54bn.
“This was 4.6 per cent below the provisional budget benchmark and 12.8 per cent lower than the collection in the corresponding period of 2020.
“Oil and non-oil revenue constituted 45.4 per cent and 54.6 per cent of the total collection respectively. The modest rebound in crude oil prices in the preceding three months enhanced the contribution of oil revenue to total revenue, relative to the budget benchmark.
“Non-oil revenue sources underperformed, owing to the shortfalls in collections from VAT, corporate tax, and FGN independent revenue sources.
“Retained revenue of the Federal Government of Nigeria was lower-than-trend due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At N285.26bn, FGN’s retained revenue fell short of its programmed benchmark and collections in January 2020, by 41.3 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively.
“In contrast, the provisional aggregate expenditure of the FGN rose from N717.6bn in December 2020 to N770.77bn in the reporting period, but remained 14.4 per cent below the monthly target of N900.88bn.
“Fiscal operations of the FGN in January 2021 resulted in a tentative overall deficit of N485.51bn.”
The report said that total public debt outstanding of the FGN as of the end-September 2020, stood at N28.03tn, with domestic and external debts accounting for 56.5 per cent and 43.5 per cent, respectively.
According to the report, the continued spread of the COVID–19 pandemic weakened global economic recovery and led to a decline in foreign exchange inflow into the economy in the month under review.
Provisional data showed that aggregate foreign exchange inflow into the economy was $5.47bn, showing decreases of 54.2 per cent and 67.5 per cent below its level in the preceding month and corresponding month of 2020 respectively.
This was attributed to the respective 66.2 per cent and 45.1 per cent decrease in inflow through the CBN and autonomous sources.
Foreign exchange outflow through the economy fell by 22.1 per cent and 57.1 per cent to $2.97bn, from the levels of $3.81bn and $6.92bn respectively in the preceding month and the corresponding month of 2020.
This was driven, largely, by the decline in outflow through the CBN.
Consequently, the foreign exchange transactions through the economy resulted in a net inflow of $2.5bn, compared with $8.1bn and $9.9bn in the preceding month and the corresponding period of 2020 respectively.
Dangote commits $700m to sugar production
The management of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc has said it is committing over $700m to its sugar projects to support the Backward Integration Policy of the Federal Government to make Nigeria self-sufficient in sugar production.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by Dangote Industries Limited, the company disclosed this to visiting members of the Nasarawa House of Assembly on Friday.
The company noted that Nigeria was one of the sub-Saharan Africa’s largest importers of sugar, second only to South Africa with an annual import of over $337m.
The Dangote Sugar management however assured the lawmakers that with the completion of its sugar projects in Nasarawa and Adamawa under the BIP, the nation would be saved more than half of the forex expended on sugar imports annually.
It added that the investment would also lift its people as other people-oriented infrastructures would come with the sugar projects.
The state lawmakers commended the Dangote Group for choice of the state for the project and the accelerated pace with which the project was being executed, despite occasional delays arising from communal disagreements.
General Manager for the BIP, Dangote Sugar, John Beverley said when the factory was fully operational, it would have the capacity to crush 12,000 tons of cane per day, while 90MW power would be generated for both the company’s use and host communities.
He also disclosed that some 500km roads in all would be constructed to ease transportation within the vicinity. He solicited the support of the lawmakers in controlling the menace of land encroachment by settlers and itinerant farmers.
The Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Abdullah, and his team members, who were conducted round the company’s 78,000 hectares BIP in Tunga Awe Local Government Area commended the company for the project.
Abdullah noted that it would not only open up opportunities in the state but in Africa as a whole, and said the lawmakers were ready to partner and support the company towards the realisation of the sugar project through relevant legislations.
When the phase II of the project is completed, according to the company, it will make it the largest sugar refining plant in Africa.
–
