The total debts of the 36 states in Nigeria rose to N11.47trn as of June 30, 2024, despite allocations by the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee and their respective internally generated revenues.
An analysis of data from the public debt reports released by the Debt Management Office said the rise was 14.57 per cent higher than the N10.01trn recorded in December 2023.
External debt for the states and the Federal Capital Territory also climbed from $4.61bn to $4.89bn within the period under review.
In naira terms, the debts increased by 73.46 per cent, from N4.15trn to N7.2trn, following the devaluation of the naira from N899.39/$1 in December 2023 to N1,470.19/$1 by June 2024.
However, domestic debt for states and the FCT declined from N5.86trn to N4.27trn.
In total, states and the FCT accounted for Nigeria’s public debt of N134.3trn in June 2024, a decrease from their 10.29 per cent share in December 2023, even as their nominal debt levels increased.
The sub-national governments continued to grapple with a persistent reliance on borrowing to finance their budgets in 2023, as the total debt stock of the 36 states surged by 38.1%, from N7.25trn in 2022 to N10.01trn.
According to BudgIT’s 2024 State of States report released on Tuesday, the debt growth was partly driven by a N606.12bn increase in domestic debt, resulting in an average year-on-year growth rate of 11.4%.
By 31st December 2023, the total domestic debt stood at N5.86trn.
The situation was further complicated by rising foreign debt, which increased by 4.1%, from $4.43bn in 2022 to $4.61bn in 2023.
According to the report, the liberalisation of the exchange rate exacerbated the financial strain on states, significantly raising their foreign loan repayment obligations in naira terms.
Lagos State remained the most indebted in foreign currency, accounting for 26.9% of the total foreign debt, equivalent to $1.24bn.
The DMO’s report comes after BudgIT’s report said that the 32 states of the federation relied on FAAC for at least 55 per cent of their total revenue in 2023.
According to the 2024 report released last week, the development paints the over-reliance of state governments on federally distributable revenue and accentuates the vulnerability of the state governments to crude oil-induced shocks and other external shocks.
The report further said that 14 states relied on FAAC receipts for at least 70 per cent of their total revenue.
Furthermore, transfers to states from the federation account comprised at least 62 per cent of the recurrent revenue of 34 states, except Lagos and Ogun, while 21 states relied on federal transfers for at least 80 per cent of their recurrent revenue.
In the 2023 fiscal year, the combined revenue of all 36 states in Nigeria increased significantly by 31.2 per cent from N6.6tn in 2022 to N8.66trn.
This growth rate exceeded the previous year’s increase of 28.95 per cent, indicating a notable improvement in fiscal performance.
Of the total revenue generated in 2023, Lagos State contributed N1.24trn, representing 14.32 per cent of the cumulative revenue of the 36 states.
Gross FAAC, which grew by 33.19 per cent from N4.05trn in 2022 to N5.4trn in 2023, contributed to 65 per cent of the year-on-year growth of the combined revenue of the 36 states.
“32 states relied on FAAC receipts for at least 55 per cent of their total revenue, while 14 states relied on FAAC receipts for at least 70 per cent of their total revenue.
“Furthermore, transfers to states from the federation account comprised at least 62 per cent of the recurrent revenue of 34 states, except Lagos and Ogun, while 21 states relied on federal transfers for at least 80 per cent of their recurrent revenue.
“The picture painted above buttresses the over-reliance of the state governments on federally distributable revenue and accentuates their vulnerability to crude oil-induced shocks and other external shocks,” it stated.
The report provides a detailed analysis of states’ fiscal sustainability, examining how well they balance internally generated revenue against federal allocations.
On Internally Generated Revenue by the states, the report said the domestic resource mobilisation capacity of the state governments seemed to improve in 2023, as the 36 states’ IGR grew by 20.33 per cent to N2.19trn from the N1.82trn garnered in 2022.
However, it was mixed fortunes for the states as the growth was unequal across the board: six states grew their IGR by more than 50 per cent, with Zamfara recording the highest growth of 240.22 per cent, while seven states recorded negative IGR growth, with Jigawa recording the worst decline among the 36 states.
Lagos State was the largest contributor to total state revenue, accounting for N1.24trn, or 14.32 per cent of the cumulative revenue.
The report also highlighted that only Lagos and Rivers States were able to generate enough IGR to cover their operating expenses, with IGR-to-operating-cost ratios of 118.39 per cent and 121.26 per cent, respectively.
On the other hand, states such as Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Taraba required over five times their IGR to meet operating expenses, relying heavily on federal transfers and external aid.
BudgIT advised “The fiscal viability and long-term sustainability of the states are largely dependent on their capacity to mobilise revenues internally—leveraging their natural resource endowments, technology, public-private partnerships, human capital, and consequence management adequate enough to finance critical infrastructure, invest in human capital development and social protection, pay the new minimum wage and its consequential adjustments, and amend the broken social contract.
“More specifically, the states would need to digitise revenue collection, eliminate cash-based transactions, deploy tax intelligence to enumerate tax liabilities of entities— particularly high net-worth individuals—and enforce compliance, harmonise its different taxes, levies and fees, fully operationalise its treasury single account, and improve the ease of doing business.”
