Business

NBS rates Lagos most indebted Nigerian state with N1.22trn domestic debt

While Lagos State had the highest domestic debt in Q4 2025 with N1.22 trillion, Rivers came second with N378.81 billion, while Jigawa State recorded the lowest with N1.60 billion, followed by Ondo with N8.42 billion.

Published

6 months ago

May 7, 2026

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Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu 768x594 1

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• Lagos Governor , Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State has been ranked emerging as the most indebted state in Nigeria, owing creditors a total of N1.22 trillion and $1.17 billion in domestic and external debts, respectively,

In its Q4 2025 domestic and external debt report, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said that the country’s total debt stock, comprising domestic and external debt, rose from N153.29 trillion or $103.94 billion in Q3 2025 to N159.28 trillion or $110.97 billion in Q4 2025.

The report said this represented an increase of 3.90 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter basis, adding that total external debt stood at N74.43 trillion, while total domestic debt was N84.85 trillion in Q4 2025.

The share of external debt, in naira value, was 46.73 per cent in Q4 2025, while the share of domestic debt, also in naira value, stood at 53.27 per cent of total public debt.

Lagos State also recorded the highest external debt over the reference period with $1.17 billion, followed by Kaduna with $684.29 million, while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had the lowest with $26.80 million, followed by Zamfara with $41.93 million, the NBS said.

According to the bureau, other heavily indebted states are Bauchi with $220.57 million and N156.05 billion as external and domestic debts respectively;

Delta with $63.42 million and N248.83 billion as external and domestic debts respectively; and Enugu with $99.88 million and N157.60 billion as external and domestic debts, respectively.

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Business

Naira Exchange Rates Thursday, 5 Nov 2026

Published

2 days ago

November 5, 2026

OCHEFA

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BLACK/ PARALLEL MARKET RATES

₦1400DOLLAR (USD)

₦1830POUND (GBP)

₦1515 EURO (EUR)

₦950 CANADIAN DOLLAR (CAD)

₦70 SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR)

₦350 UAE DIRHAM (AED

₦190 Chinese YUAN (CNY)

₦100 Ghanaian CEDI (GHS)

West African CFA ₦2240 (XOF)

Central African CFA ₦2180 (XAF)

₦820 Australian Dollar AUSSIE (AUD)

Business

NNPCL wants to sell 10% equity via IPO on NGX, LSE

NNPC is expected to spend at least the whole of 2027 preparing for the proposed offering, with the listing primarily intended to strengthen corporate transparency and governance in line with Nigerian law.

Published

3 days ago

November 4, 2026

OCHEFA

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) is considering selling between 5% and 10% of its equity through a potential initial public offering (IPO), with the proposed listing expected to focus primarily on Nigeria’s domestic capital market.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Bashir Bayo Ojulari, disclosed this in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, adding that the company could also pursue a secondary listing in London or New York.

The disclosure comes shortly after the Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s IPO closed on October 27, following a two-week extension of its subscription period from the initial October 13 deadline.

Ojulari indicated that raising additional capital would be a secondary consideration rather than the main reason for going public.

The company is also considering listing some of its subsidiaries separately, following a model adopted by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned oil company.

Beyond the potential IPO, Ojulari disclosed that Chinese companies have expressed interest in acquiring equity stakes in some of NNPC’s smaller refineries, particularly the Port Harcourt and Warri facilities, which require substantial rehabilitation.