Nigeria’s brewing sector has appealed to the Federal Government to abandon plans to introduce tax stamps on excisable goods.

Executive Director of the Beer Sectoral Group (BSG), Abiola Laseinde noted that the measure could trigger production disruptions and worsen the country’s inflation crisis.

She urged government to sustain existing home-grown digital excise systems rather than introducing tax stamps also known as track-and-trace identifiers, which she described as counterproductive.

The industry’s concerns echo recent warnings from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), which cautioned that the proposed tax stamp system could compound economic pressures and fuel consumer price increases.

Laseinde stressed that the application of tax stamps in the beer sector would not address illicit trade, as counterfeiting is virtually non-existent due to the complexity of the brewing process, the bulkiness of beer products and their low resale value.

She added that the industry already maintains strict compliance with excise rules, backed by digital counters, on-site Customs officers and auditable records.

The Director-General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, has described the rift between Dangote Refinery and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) as unfortunate, and a needless attack on private enterprise.

He noted that the strike had far-reaching implications on residents and businesses, as factories suffered cuts in production schedules, with a hike in transportation fare.

Fielding questions from reporters at MAN House, yesterday, while announcing the association’s coming Annual General Meeting (AGM), he revealed that imported products, which were not suffering disruption, were likely to fill the gap and if the rift rears its head again, it would affect daily workers and people in the logistics value chain that rely on the products made in those factories.

Meanwhile, PENGASSAN has said it decided to suspend its two-day strike to protect the jobs of its members in Dangote Refinery.The President, Festus Osifo, explained that the union was unsatisfied with the posting of about 800 sacked staff to Dangote’s subsidiaries to prevent job loss.

The Federal Government spent a total of $2.86 billion to service external debt in the first eight months of 2025.

This was disclosed in the international payment data from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The figure shows that external debts accounted for 69.1 percent of the country’s total foreign payments of $4.14 billion in the period.

In the same eight-month stretch of 2024, debt service stood at $3.06 billion, representing 70.7 percent of total foreign payments of $4.33 billion.

The figures show that while the absolute value of debt service fell by $198m between 2024 and 2025.

The share of debt in overall foreign payments has remained persistently high, with about seven out of every ten dollars leaving the country used to meet debt obligations.

The monthly breakdown highlights the volatility of Nigeria’s repayment schedule:

In January 2025, $540.67m was spent compared with $560.52m in January 2024, a fall of $19.85m or 3.5 per cent.

February 2025 recorded $276.73m, slightly below the $283.22m in February 2024, down by $6.49m or 2.3 per cent.March 2025 surged to $632.36m against $276.17m in March 2024, an increase of $356.19m or 129 per cent.

In April 2025, payments reached $557.79m, which was $342.59m or 159 per cent higher than the $215.20m of April 2024.

May 2025 stood at $230.92m, sharply lower than the $854.37m in May 2024, a drop of $623.45m or 73 per cent.

June 2025 rose to $143.39m compared with $50.82m in June 2024, a rise of $92.57m or 182 per cent.

July 2025 fell to $179.95m, down by $362.55m or 66.8 per cent from $542.5m in July 2024.

By August 2025, debt service climbed to $302.3m, which was $22.35m or 8 per cent higher than the $279.95m of August 2024.