Business
N193bn intervention loans declared lost by CBN
A report by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revealed that out of the total loans of N10.3 trillion disbursed as intervention, N193 billion has been declared lost and another N418.9 billion remains doubtful.
According to the report, which was last updated in September 2023, detailed the breakdown of the bank’s intervention funds over the years.
A doubtful loan is one for which full repayment is questionable and uncertain. The degree of repayment of loans in question ranges from a complete loss to an uncertain loss unless corrective actions are taken.
According to the report, out of the N10.3 trillion in intervention funds, N4.4 trillion has been repaid, while approximately N5.8 trillion remains outstanding. Some of the loans are tenured, meaning they only fall due when the principal repayments mature.
However, only N969.8 billion of the outstanding amount was past due, as some loans had repayment tenures extending years beyond 2023. Based on this, the report claimed the percentage of repayments to amounts due was 75.8%.
The apex bank report also indicates that N289 billion of the loans are performing, N67.9 billion is substandard and N418.9 billion is doubtful and N193.9 billion of the loans are lost.
The apex bank governor, Yemi Cardoso, has repeatedly criticised the intervention funds carried out under the leadership of Godwin Emefiele, claiming that the bank could not implement the interventions appropriately.