The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and the Organized Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN) have warned that Nigeria’s massive public sector deficit remains the greatest threat to the Federal Government’s goal of transforming the country into a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
NACCIMA President Dele Kelvin Oye, who issued the warning in a statement yesterday, urged the Federal Government to adopt and implement a more rigorous public financial management strategy. He emphasized the need to prioritize capital over recurrent spending, aggressively expand the tax base rather than raising tax rates, improve expenditure efficiency, and plug leakages across all levels of government.
“While structural reforms are essential, we must confront a hard truth: persistent public sector deficits and continual borrowing, much of it to finance recurrent expenditure, continue to crowd out private investment and exert inflationary pressures,” Oye stated. “We urge the federal government to implement rigorous public financial management by prioritizing capital over recurrent spending, aggressively expanding the tax base, rather than raising tax rates; improving expenditure efficiency and plugging leakages, and accelerating the sale or concessioning of underperforming public assets.”
Oye, who also chairs the Organized Private Sector of Nigeria, noted that “these are critical steps not only for restoring macroeconomic stability but also for rebuilding investor and business confidence.”
He commended the government, represented by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, for acknowledging the formidable macroeconomic and social challenges facing the nation, as reiterated at the recent IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings. He also praised the government’s willingness to collaborate with development partners on job creation and youth empowerment, calling it timely and commendable.
“We recognize the government’s laudable commitment to single-digit inflation, job creation, digital infrastructure development, and the ambition to transition to a $1 trillion economy by 2030,” Oye said.
However, he noted that the World Bank’s latest Africa Pulse report serves as a stark reminder of the urgent threat of deepening poverty in Nigeria, with the national poverty rate projected to surge to 56% by 2027. “The dramatic growth in the number of Nigerians living below the poverty line, surging inflation, youth migration, and the expanded fiscal deficit underscore the need for even faster, targeted, and pragmatic policy action,” he added.
On monetary policy, Oye stated: “The Central Bank’s prevailing monetary stance, with commercial lending rates hovering at 30-40%, risks stifling entrepreneurship, industrial production, and agricultural expansion. This credit environment, while targeting inflation, paradoxically holds the productive sector hostage and suppresses the job creation and innovation capacity of the private sector.” He called for targeted intervention funding and special credit windows for MSMEs and strategic sectors at concessionary rates to unlock growth, employment, and food security.
Addressing youth migration and insecurity, Oye described the exodus of skilled youths (Japa) as an ominous trend fueled by economic disenfranchisement and insecurity. “Immediate mass-scale public works, digital skills training, and security sector investments in the hardest-hit zones are non-negotiable,” he said. “Government must ring-fence funds for youth-targeted entrepreneurship programs and rural enterprise stimulation—especially in agriculture and light manufacturing—to make staying in Nigeria a viable and attractive option.”
On inflation, he argued that while monetary tightening may slow price increases, root causes such as food supply chain disruptions, energy deficits, overregulation, inconsistent policies, forex volatility, and excessive fiscal injections must be addressed concurrently. NACCIMA advocates for fast-tracking strategic food importation and logistics support, ensuring farmers’ access to affordable inputs through targeted subsidies, and committing to the continuous provision of Naira crude to existing local refineries while accelerating modular refining projects to reduce fuel import dependency.
“We appeal for more structured dialogue with organized private sector actors in policy design and execution, ensuring policy measures are evidence-based and context-sensitive,” Oye said.
In conclusion, he stated: “Given the global shift in economic and geopolitical dynamics, with the dominance of the U.S. dollar gradually declining due to reduced U.S. global share, the overuse of dollar-based sanctions, and advancements in digital settlement systems beyond traditional mechanisms like SWIFT, it is crucial for Nigeria to recognize these changes and strategically realign its foreign policy. By exploring stronger partnerships and trade ties with emerging economic blocs such as China and the BRICS nations, Nigeria can position itself as a more attractive destination for foreign direct investment. Seizing this opportunity will help diversify our economy, stimulate industrial growth, create jobs, and ultimately reduce poverty, while making Nigeria a key player in the evolving global order.”
Oye acknowledged the bold steps taken by the government under current reforms but stressed that short-term socioeconomic pains—including increasing poverty, joblessness, and insecurity—demand urgent, deliberate, and inclusive interventions. “Nigeria cannot bank on the patience of its citizens when livelihoods are eroded and aspirations are crushed by economic hardship,” he said.
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