Seven states spent an average of 190 per cent of their Internally Generated Revenue on debt servicing in the first quarter of 2025, a development that shows the worsening fiscal strain facing subnational governments.
Data from the Q1 2025 Budget Implementation Reports of Bayelsa, Adamawa, Benue, Niger, Kogi, Taraba, and Bauchi states show that debt service expenditure in each of the states exceeded their IGR, in some cases by more than 300 per cent.
The trend, when compared with figures from the preceding quarter (Q4 2024), also reflects a sharp quarter-on-quarter surge in debt service cost, which rose by approximately 51 per cent across the states reviewed.
Seven Nigerian states spent a total of N98.71bn on debt servicing in Q1 2025, marking a sharp increase of N33.48bn or 51 per cent compared to the N65.24bn recorded in the previous quarter.
The data further revealed that the combined IGR for the seven states rose modestly from N44.05bn in Q4 2024 to N51.92bn in Q1 2025, indicating an increase of N7.87bn. However, this marginal revenue improvement was outpaced by a surge in debt repayment obligations, highlighting the widening fiscal gap at the subnational level.
Disbursements from the Federation Account Allocation Committee to the affected states increased from N360.75bn in Q4 2024 to N419.86bn in Q1 2025, representing a rise of N59.11bn within three months. The increase shows the continued dependence of states on federal transfers to meet not only operational costs but also mounting debt obligations.
In Q1 2025, the seven states required a combined total of N46.80bn from their FAAC allocations to fully cover the shortfall between IGR and debt service.
This amount represents approximately 11.15 per cent of their total FAAC inflows of N419.86bn during the period
In Benue State, debt service costs rose from N1.99bn in Q4 2024 to N21.40bn in Q1 2025, while IGR improved from N1.98bn to N5.18bn within the same period. This means that debt service in the first quarter accounted for 413 per cent of the state’s IGR and 31.6 per cent of total expenditure. The state relied on at least N16.22bn from its FAAC allocation of N58.71bn to meet the shortfall.
Kogi State reported a Q1 2025 IGR of N9.63bn but spent N23.88bn on debt servicing, equivalent to 248 per cent of its IGR. In the preceding quarter, debt service stood at N10.17bn against an IGR of N7.86bn.
The state received N55.41bn from FAAC and recorded total expenditure of N110.13bn, of which 21.7 per cent was used for debt repayment. The Kogi State Government recently said that it has liquidated a total debt of N98.8bn since assuming office 15 months ago.
The State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning, Ashiru Idris, disclosed this during a briefing with journalists following the Executive Council meeting held at the Council Chambers, Government House, Lokoja.
The commissioner explained that the debts settled include liabilities dating back to the administration of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, as well as the N50bn bailout fund granted to the administration of Idris Wada.
“So far, this administration, under the leadership of Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has cleared a total of N98.8bn inherited from previous administrations, including the N50bn salary bailout granted to Captain Idris Wada’s administration,” he stated.
