NEXIM Bank Weighed Down By Over 91 Percent Non-Performing Loans, Audit Report

Dr. Okwu Joseph Nnanna

By CLEMENT NWOJI, Abuja

The forensic audit commissioned by the new Board of Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) has revealed that the bank is burdened by 91 percent non-performing loans of total loans granted as at 2018.

Further, the audit exposed different levels of procedural abuse fraught with high level of fraud in the disbursement of the loans by the former management.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) revealed these in a statement in defence of Dr. Okwu Joseph Nnanna as the Chairman of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM Bank) whose appointment was called to question by a group under the aegis Awareness for Good Governance Group (AGGG), agitating for his removal.

It would be recalled that Dr. Nnanna shortly after his appointment, instituted the forensic audit.

According to the statement, “Findings from sources within the Bank and those close to the audit firm, Price Waterhouse and Coopers (PwC) indicated that there were several violations of laid down procedures, which increased the risk burden of the bank to the extent that non-performing loans (NPLs) of NEXIM rose to about 91% of loans granted by the bank.”

According to the source,  prior to Nnanna’s assumption of office as chairman in March 2018, the NPL of the bank stood at about N48.9 billion out of a total loan portfolio of N53 billion, which negated the corporate pursuit of the bank to have NPLs at a maximum level of 10%.

The sources, who alleged wrong doings a former company secretary of NEXIM, further revealed that about 181 out of 191 loans granted before the assumption of the Nnanna board were non-performing, adding that as many as a third of the documents also did not have supporting or verifiable documents to justify the loan applications and subsequent disbursements.

“That level of fraud within the system is perhaps why the CBN is yet to activate the N500 billion Export Stimulation Fund which was set up to promote non-oil exports in Nigeria,” the source said.

The source revealed that the Management of NEXIM will brief the media on the situation on Monday, May 6, 2019.

A statement issued by the NEXIM bank on Thursday, May 2, 2019, had dismissed the allegations by the AGGG, describing them as misleading and targeted at tarnishing “the reputation of Dr. Nnanna as well as diverting attention from the on-going efforts by the board to address cases of gross mismanagement and poor state of affairs of the Bank under the old management which had since been sacked by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.”