Governor Akinwunmi Ambode

The Lagos State Government is set to float a new bond of N43 billion in the Capital Market this year as part of move to finance its budget deficit.

The state government is borrowing N119.7 billion to finance its budget deficit for this year. Out of the N662.588 billion budget for this year, the total revenue is put at N542.873 billion while the balance of N119.715 billion to be funded through borrowing.

The previous government of Babatunde Fashola left bequeath on the state a debt of N432 billion.

Lagos Commissioner for Finance, Mustapha Akinkunmi disclosed that the government is floating a bond of N43 billion as part of move to finance the N662.588 billion.

Akinkunmi, who spoke in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria while answering questions on how government would finance the deficit said very soon, the N43 billion bond would be floated to raise money to fund the deficit.

He said payment for the bond is going to be on long term basis, adding that the government had earmarked N12 billion to service part of the N119.7 billion to be borrowed to service the budget.

Already, Akinkunmi disclosed that as part of plan to service the over N432 billion debt owed by the previous administration, the state government is paying about N78 billion this year to the creditors.

He said the debt profile of the state is sustainable according o international rating, adding that adequate plans had been put in place to pay back the state’s debt which is a long term debt.

Also, Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Akinyemi Ashade disclosed that to raise the N622.588 billion budget for this year, the Lagos Inland Revenue Service, LIRS, had been given the marching order to generate N300 billion, which is equivalent to 78 percent of the total Internally Generated Revenue, IGR.

“We do not intend to introduce new taxes in 2016 but rather bring more citizens into the tax net, especially the large informal sector and also through the adoption of an automated process to block leakages,” he said.

Ashade also disclosed that the Lagos State House of Assembly has a capital expenditure of N3.8 billion in the budget to execute constituency projects.