Mr. Udoma Udo Udoma,
minister of budget and national planning, was left red-faced on Monday when he
was asked about Nigeria’s total debt profile.
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| Mr. Udoma Udo Udoma, Budget Minister |
The question was posed at
him during the 22nd Nigerian Economic Summit holding place in Abuja.
Zain Asher, a CNN Anchor,
who is one of the moderators, asked Udoma to divulge the specific figure of
Nigeria’s debt profile.
“How much is Nigeria’s
total debt?” Asher asked the minister.
In response, a befuddled
Udoma said: “I can’t tell you the exact figure. I will have to get back to you
on that.”
Asher, however, responded
with a challenge, saying: “But you are the minister of budget”.
The clearly-rattled budget
minister neither gave a ballpark figure nor stated that the Debt Management
Office (DMO) was in charge of keeping records of the nation’s debt profile.
Instead, he informed Asher
that several committees were saddled with the responsibility of compiling
Nigeria’s debt and as such, he could not give a precise figure.
His response elicited loud
murmurs from the audience.
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