Kogi Govt Refutes Sahara Reporters’ Debt Servicing Claims, Demands Retraction »

The Kogi State Government has dismissed as false and misleading a recent report by Sahara Reporters alleging that the state would spend 80 percent of its revenues on debt servicing for the next three years.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, described the September 1 publication as “a deliberate attempt to mislead the public,” insisting that the figures presented by Sahara Reporters were inaccurate and sensational.

Citing data from the Debt Management Office (DMO), the government said Kogi’s domestic debt had reduced significantly under Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo from ₦90.1 billion at the time of his inauguration to ₦41.5 billion as of March 31, 2025, representing more than a 50 percent reduction.

The statement further explained that debt servicing projections stood at ₦27.98 billion for 2025 and ₦28.26 billion for 2026, which translates to between 9 and 11 percent of projected revenues, not the 80 percent alleged. “In fact, when benchmarked against the 2025 Appropriation Law with revenues of ₦582.4 billion, debt servicing represents only about 5 percent of the total budget,” the government noted.

According to the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF 2025–2027), Kogi expects revenues of ₦280.3 billion in 2025 and ₦285.1 billion in 2026, with Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) averaging ₦35.1 billion annually.

The government also pointed out that the same MTEF document cited by Sahara Reporters showed that the state had already paid down ₦98.8 billion in debts by June 2025 and secured a B rating with a stable outlook, as reported by Premium Times.

Mr. Fanwo accused Sahara Reporters of having a long-standing pattern of bias against Kogi State and of “weaponizing ignorance by twisting technical financial records into scandal.” He stressed that the Ododo administration remains committed to transparency, citing the state’s participation in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and engagement with civil society groups such as KONGONET.

“The people of Kogi State deserve better. Responsible journalism requires accuracy, context, and balance; three virtues Sahara Reporters has consistently failed to uphold,” the statement read.

The state government demanded an immediate retraction of the story, a formal apology, and equal prominence for the correction. It warned that failure to comply would compel the government to seek redress through criminal and civil actions under Nigerian law.