{
  "id": 10131231,
  "title": "Nigeria’s Debt Hits N166.79tn as Interest Accounts for 56.5% of External Payments",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/nigerias-debt-hits-n166-79tn-as-interest-accounts-for-56-5-of",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-27T03:54:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/09/27/nigerias-debt-hits-n166-79tn-as-interest-accounts-for-56-5-of-external-payments/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nigeria's public debt climbed to N166.79 trillion in the second quarter of 2026, with external debt obligations comprising a significant portion. The Debt Management Office (DMO) reported the increase, which added N7.44 trillion to the nation's debt stock. While external debt service fell by 8.7%, interest payments still accounted for 56.5% of the total external payments. Commercial creditors received $325.70 million, with no principal repayment recorded. The country's total debt reached N159.35 trillion at the end of March, rising to N166.79 trillion by June 30. Domestic obligations made up 54.91% of the portfolio, totaling N91.59 trillion. External debt amounted to about N75.19 trillion. The DMO valued the external debt using the Central Bank of Nigeria's official exchange rate of N1,379.1842 to the dollar on June 30. The rise in the naira value of the debt stock should be considered alongside the dollar-denominated figures. Despite the decrease in the external payment bill, more than half of what Nigeria paid went towards interest rather than reducing principal.",
  "summary": "Festus Akanbi Nigeria’s public debt rose by N7.44 trillion to N166.79 trillion in the second quarter of 2026, even as spending on external obligations fell to $870.73 million, according to",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "2027: ‘Nigerians can’t feed their children, workers can’t pay transport fare’ – Atiku hits Tinubu",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/2027-nigerians-cant-feed-their-children-workers-cant-pay-transport",
        "published": "2026-09-26T18:23:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Atiku demands answers as Nigeria’s debt hits N166.79tn",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/atiku-demands-answers-as-nigerias-debt-hits-n166-79tn",
        "published": "2026-09-27T00:08:47.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}