By Ishola Adeleke, YeyeNews.com, October 16, 2021
The federal government of Nigeria is set to borrow $850m from Afghanistan to fund the 2022 budget, sources in Aso Rock told YeyeNews.com. President Buhari had disclosed that his government will borrow above five trillion naira to fund the 2022 budget deficit during the budget presentation to the National Assembly.
Though the government is yet to officially disclose the source of the borrowings, a source in the presidential villa told YeyeNews.com reporter that about $850m will be borrowed from Afghanistan. “The Taliban leadership of the country has already agreed to lend Nigeria about $850m next year. These loans are desperately needed to fund ongoing infrastructural projects. So anyone that is willing to borrow us we won’t hesitate”.
Another source told Yeyenews.com that the loans where approved by the Afghan government after discussions with their Nigerian counterpart. “This loan has a zero interest rate. It will be favorable to Nigeria at this . We hope to deepen this relationship so that we can access more of these in future”.
YeyeNews.com gathered that a high powered delegation led by the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Mujahedeen Isa Pantami, was in Kabul last week to finalize and sign all the necessary documentations. “The Minister praised the Taliban government for their great achievements in the country within a short period of their government and assured them of Nigeria’s continuous support”, the source told YeyeNews.com. The chief Taliban negotiator took the opportunity to further assure the Nigerian government of their readiness to assist the country in improving its economy and to strengthen democracy, the source added.
