Nigeria Cannot Stop Borrowing – CBN Governor, Emefiele Explains Why

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has insisted that Nigeria can’t stop borrowing, mainly when it’s necessary.

Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the CBN Governor, disclosed this in Abuja on Friday at the National Dialogue on Nigeria’s rising debt profile, titled: “The Rising Public Debt in Nigeria and the Challenges of National Development,” organized by the Action Aid Nigeria (AAN).

Emefiele, who was represented by Dr. Tawose Joseph, the Assistant Director, Monetary Policy Department, CBN, said there is no crime in borrowing.

According to him, there should be monitoring and evaluation of the money borrowed and its purpose.

This is coming as AAN and stakeholders have expressed fear over unbalanced borrowings levels, rising national debt profile, and increasing poverty level under President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

He said, “Debt is part of fiscal responsibility. Debt is never a crime or a sin. The private entity also borrows to survive. What matters most is the debt’s quantum and the debt usage as well as if money is borrowed as a result of the shortage of income generation.

“When you compare the income and expenditure, and it is efficiently used, it is part of government responsibility. But where the fear is when it is above the threshold.

“CBN understands that when there is a crisis in an economy, then the burden of debt would be something. That is why the conventional and non-conventional instruments are there to ensure price stability in the economy.”