ABUJA – The Senate has approved the sum of N1.15 trillion loan in the domestic debt market to fund the 2025 budget deficit.
President Ahmed Bola Tinubu had written a letter to the Senate requesting approval for the loan.
The approval of the loan followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts in plenary on Wednesday.
Presenting the report on behalf of the Committee Chairman, Wamakko Magatarkada , the Deputy Chairman, Haruna Manu, explained that the borrowing was necessary to close the gap created by the increase in the total budget size during the legislative approval process.
Explaining the rationale for the loan, the committee said “a budget of N59.99 trillion was passed in the 2025 Appropriation Act, with an increase of N5.25 trillion from the N54.74 trillion budget earlier proposed by the Executive.
“This increase created a budget deficit of N14.10 trillion. The proposed borrowing approval in the budget was N12.95 trillion, which caused an unfunded deficit of N1.147 trillion. It is therefore necessary to increase the domestic borrowing limit in the 2025 budget by N1.147 trillion to close the gap.”
The committee stressed that the borrowing would be sourced entirely from the domestic market.
It further urged that “the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Debt Management Office to undertake the borrowing strictly within approved fiscal parameters, ensuring that all terms and conditions are favourable, transparent, and sustainable.”
To strengthen legislative oversight, the committee mandated that the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts to monitor the implementation and utilisation of proceeds from the borrowing, receive quarterly reports from the Ministry of Finance and Debt Management Office, track compliance with debt sustainability thresholds and report any deviations to the Senate for appropriate legislative action.
Supporting the recommendations, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, disclosed that the loan “will ensure that the implementation of the 2025 Appropriation Act, especially capital projects, proceeds without delay,” he said.
Also contributing, Abdul Ningi supported the recommendation but called for stronger coordination among key fiscal agencies.
“This borrowing was approved because it is meant to service the 2025 Appropriation Act, which is commendable. However, given the urgency, I suggest that the Appropriation Committee should liaise with both the Debt Management Office and the Budget Office to ensure proper appropriation and compliance,” he stated.
The Senate thereafter adopted an additional recommendation mandating the Appropriation Committee “to ensure that the borrowing is actually used for the purpose for which it is required, which is to fund the 2025 Appropriation.”
Following the motion’s approval, other recommendations were unanimously adopted.
In his closing remarks, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, assured that “with this approval, the Senate has ensured that funding gaps in the 2025 budget will not hinder the implementation of key projects, while maintaining strict oversight on debt sustainability and fiscal responsibility.”
Moves To Amend NPHCDA Act
Meanwhile, the Senate has commenced the consideration of a bill seeking to repeal and re-enact the National Primary Health Care Development Agency Act.
The aim is to provide a more comprehensive and responsive framework for the delivery of equitable and accessible health services across the country.
The proposed legislation, titled National Primary Health Care Development Agency (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2025 (SB. 900), was sponsored by Solomon Olamilekan Adeola.
In his lead debate at plenary, Adeola said the bill aims to reposition the agency as the driver of universal access to quality primary health care, in line with Nigeria’s health sector reforms and global best practices.
He said, “Primary health care remains the foundation of every functional health system because it is the closest form of healthcare service available to the people — the first point of contact for preventive, promotive, and basic curative services.”
He said the existing Act, which established the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in the early 1990s, has become obsolete and unable to respond to present-day health realities.
“The framework guiding the agency’s operations no longer aligns with contemporary realities. It neither captures the new realities of Universal Health Coverage, digital health integration, nor community health insurance,” Adeola said. “What we are proposing is a legal structure that promotes decentralisation, accountability, and community-led service delivery,” he said.
He added that the bill would “strengthen intergovernmental coordination between the federal, state, and local governments” and ensure sustainable financing through innovative funding mechanisms. It would also “facilitate the integration of technology, data systems, and health research in primary health care delivery.”
Adeola further emphasised that the proposed law seeks to empower Ward Health Committees and local partnerships to ensure that communities play a direct role in managing their health facilities.
“This bill is not just about restructuring an agency,” he stressed. “It is a deliberate legislative effort to bring health care closer to every Nigerian, particularly the less privileged, women, and children who bear the highest disease burden.”
According to him, the re-enacted law would help Nigeria meet its commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being) and strengthen the country’s resilience against public health emergencies.
“Without a functional and well-coordinated primary health care system, no nation can achieve equitable growth or human capital development,” Adeola noted. “This bill represents our resolve to ensure that no community is left behind.”
The senator assured his colleagues that the legislation would not place any additional financial burden on the Federal Government, as the agency is an existing statutory body.
“In compliance with Order 76(3) of the Senate Standing Orders, the passage of this bill will not impose new costs on the treasury,” he said.
He, therefore, urged his colleagues to support the passage of the bill in order to revamp the primary health care system in the country.
No Plot To Remove Akpabio
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leader, on Wednesday refuted media reports alleging a plot to remove the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
He described them as false, misleading, and intended to sow confusion within the National Assembly.
Addressing his colleagues during Wednesday’s plenary, Senator Bamidele said there had been no discussion or contemplation among Senators regarding Akpabio’s removal, emphasizing that the upper chamber remains united and focused on national priorities.
“There was no attempt by any of our colleagues, nor any discussion around the possibility or otherwise of the removal of the Senate President from office,” Bamidele stated.
“We are totally united and have developed a zero-tolerance attitude toward distractions because there are urgent issues of public importance we need to attend to. Reports like that are calculated to create confusion.”
Bamidele’s clarification followed earlier comments by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North, who had addressed senate journalists on Tuesday regarding rumours of internal disputes in the Senate.
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