The World Bank which has been Nigeria’s development partner for many years has stated that the $800 million palliative given to Nigeria is a loan that Nigeria will have to pay back.
This was said by Mr. Shubham Chaudhuri, the Nigerian country director for the World Bank during an interview with Channels TV.
He explained that the mission of the World Bank is to assist countries in permanently eradicating extreme poverty.
He stated that they accomplish this by offering assistance and support to the government so that it can deliver essential services such as energy, roads, and other necessities in order to guarantee value for money.
“The financing that the world bank provides is a highly concessional loan that Nigeria will have to pay back over a number of years,” he noted.
He also noted that the world bank will also work closely will government workers, stakeholders, and civil society to make sure that the funds are used for what they were intended and that the intended beneficiaries indeed benefit from the loan.
He added that giving this as a 30-year loan at a low-interest rate of about two and a half percent over a grace period of eight to ten years.
“Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa and Nigeria’s success will determine where the continent goes so in the meantime, we will try our best to provide as much as we can but it will be as a credit, not a grant,” he concluded.
