On Wednesday, a bill to raise the amount of Ways and Means loans that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) can provide to the Federal Government was passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Nigerian legislature’s upper house increased the maximum loan limit that the federal government may obtain from the apex bank from 5% to 10%.
The federal government can offset its budget deficits by using short-term loans from the Apex Bank, also known as the Ways and Means.
In order to achieve this, the Senate increased the total amount of CBN advances (loans) to the Federal Government by amending the CBN Act.
On Wednesday, the bill aimed at amending the CBN Act was read aloud in plenary for the first time.
The executive measure, which was read aloud for the first time on Wednesday, according to Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, will allow the federal government to fulfill its current and future commitments because of its growing financial demands to cover budget shortfalls and other costs.
In addition to enabling the rapid release of funds to support necessary government expenditures and alleviate budget shortages, he clarified that the loans would help maintain financial market stability by preventing government default on its duty.
According to Bamidele, the loans will help the economy grow, maybe lead to the creation of jobs, and allow the government to support important industries like infrastructure development, healthcare, and agriculture.
He went on to say that because the loans provide funds at a lower cost than the conventional borrowing method, they will reduce the government’s borrowing costs. According to Opeyemi and his associates, there should be a 5–10% margin of increase.
They claimed that even while the increase was required for economic growth, there should be more thorough supervision of capital projects to guarantee that the money is only allocated to legacy and infrastructure projects.
The executive measure passed its third reading after being discussed in the Committee of the Whole.
The House of Representatives raised Ways and Means from 5% to 10% in the CBN Act amendment, following the Senate’s lead. It is anticipated that President Bola Tinubu will ratify the modified bill.