The Taraba State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Sarah Adi, has dismissed claims that the state currently carries a debt burden of about ₦1.2tn, saying the figure does not reflect the state’s debt stock contained in the latest publicly available records of the Debt Management Office.
Adi made the clarification during a fiscal briefing in Jalingo on Saturday evening, saying public discussions about the state’s finances must distinguish between existing debt, approved credit facilities, outstanding balances and financing arrangements that had not been drawn down.
She said the latest DMO data showed that Taraba’s domestic debt stood at approximately ₦85.51bn as of December 31, 2025, compared with about ₦87.96bn reported in the data preceding the present administration.
According to her, the DMO had clarified that the Taraba figure contained in its March 2023 publication represented the state’s debt position as of September 30, 2022.
“The official DMO figures therefore do not support suggestions that Taraba State’s recognised domestic debt stock has risen to anything approaching ₦1.2tn,” the commissioner said.
On the state’s external debt, Adi said the DMO reported Taraba’s obligation at approximately $46.47m as of December 31, 2022, rising to about $48.04m as of December 31, 2025.
She, however, acknowledged the exchange-rate risks associated with foreign-currency obligations.
