According to the 2023 Fiscal Accounts Report of the Accountant General of the Federation, Nigeria’s Federal Government made a revenue of N5.99tn, spent N19.50tn, and recorded a deficit of N13.50tn—225% of the total revenue.

What does this mean? The government spent more than three times what it earned in revenue.

Where did the revenue come from?

N3.80 trillion came from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), FG share of independent revenue raked in N1.98tn, the FG share of the Federation Account contributed N2.39tn, exchange rate differences was N715.75bn, while VAT added N441.87bn.

How was the money spent?

Debt servicing accounted for 43.9% of the budget at N8.56tn—the largest single expense. Non-debt spending took up 27.8% at N5.42tn, while capital expenditure was 23% at N4.49tn.

It goes without saying that a significant portion of government spending was directed toward debt servicing, surpassing the revenue generated.

As a result, the government continues to drift away from fiscal responsibility by borrowing more than it earns, resulting in a deficit of N13.50tn.

BudgIT/X