By Sam Diala

Nigeria’s Debt Management Office (DMO) says it will raise between N420 billion and N510 billion through local bond issuance in the first quarter of the year.

The bond raise is to finance the fiscal deficit of N2.28 trillion of the N10.59 trillion 2020 budget recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2019.

The joint chambers of the National Assembly had passed the budget after raising it from N10.33 trillion earlier submitted by the Executive to N10.59 trillion.

President Buhari had also announced that he would present a borrowing plan to the Legislature as the government has moved to engage in massive borrowing to finance infrastructure. Besides the fiscal deficit of N2.28 trillion, the budget made provision for N2.72 trillion for debt servicing during the fiscal year.

Data obtained from its official Website shows that the DMO will raise funds, on behalf of the Nigerian government, through the issuance of bonds between N140 billion and N170 billion apiece across three tenor paper on January 22, 2020.

Specifically, the DMO aims to raise the funds through the sales of three tranches: 5-year, 10-year and 30-ear tenor bonds in the first quarter of the year at its usual monthly debt auction.

It further said it will raise the same amount at the February 19 and March 25 debt auction sessions. It is expected that the February-March auctions will attract more offshore portfolio investors.

Analysts are of the opinion that participation by offshore portfolio investors would depend largely on the performance of the financial services sector as most banks would be publishing their annual results during which dividends are declared.

The uptick in the stock market since the beginning of the year signposts healthy performance of the nation’s bourse, which investors have shown keen interest in suggesting it may impact on the yield curve in the bond market.

Although President Buhari said that the Budget’s fiscal deficit would be financed through domestic and foreign borrowings, government is yet to reveal specifically how it would raise the foreign component of the deficit.

Nigeria’s total debt stock as at June, 2019 stood at N25.7 trillion out of which N8.32 trillion constitute external debt.

External debt service payment rose by 245.9 per cent  between 2015 and 2019 while an accumulated N3.95 billion was paid between the periods.

It could be recalled that the President had presented a request to the National Assembly for approval of the 2016 – 2018 Medium Term External Borrowing Plan for $22.718 billion. Another request for foreign borrowing of $30  billion is awaiting consideration by the National Assembly.

A look at the bond market performance showed that yields on domestic debt have fallen from the height of 18 percent a year ago, to an average of 12 percent. The 5-year paper attracted 11 percent, 10-year had a yield of 12 percent while 30-year was sold at 13 percent at the Dec. auction.