Senate Approves Tinubu’s $500m Loan for Power Sector Boost

The Nigerian Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s $500 million loan request intended to bolster the operations of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to enhance the financial and technical performance of electricity distribution companies, ultimately benefiting citizens.

The endorsement, announced on Tuesday, follows a thorough examination of the report presented by Senator Aliyu Wamakko, who heads the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts overseeing the 2022 – 2024 External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan specifically for the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

During the presentation of the report, Senator Haruna Manu, serving as the Vice Chairman of the Committee, emphasised the importance for the Senate to duly receive and deliberate upon the report of the Committee on Local and Foreign Debts concerning the 2022 – 2024 External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan for the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

The $500 million loan constitutes a portion of the $7.94 billion loan originally requested by President Bola Tinubu on November 1st, 2023, within the framework of the 2022-2024 external borrowing plan. In addition to the $500 million, President Tinubu also sought approval for a €100 million loan.

However, during a special plenary session on December 30, the Senate greenlit the borrowing of $7.4 billion after careful consideration of the report furnished by the Committee on Local and Foreign Debt.