The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has so far recovered over N1.8 trillion previously held as debt.
The corporation’s managing director/chief executive officer Ahmed Kuru made this known on Wednesday at the first interactive session with members of the 10th Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions. Senator Adetokunbo Abiru chairs the committee.
The AMCON boss, while providing a high-level overview of the corporation’s activities, covering enforcement, asset management and funding model emphasised the fact that even though AMCON was created as a bad bank with various challenges beyond its control, the corporation has remained a profit-making organisation aside from delivering on the recovery mandate for which it was created by the Federal Government ab-initio.
AMCON made a profit of N23.97 billion in 2020, which increased to N34.65 billion in 2021. In 2022, the corporation made N58.59 billion profit.
He said the loss captured in the management account as of September 30, 2023, was because interest accrual on the CBN loan note had been charged as an expense to its profit and loss account while the corresponding credit, the receipts for external recoveries, which is estimated to about N359 billion was yet to be recognised and captured in the corporation’s balance as of that time. This is usually recorded in the last month of the financial year, December, before closing the books. Consequently, the corporation is projected to close with over N70 billion in profits by December 2023 once the receipts from the sinking fund are reflected in its profit or loss account accordingly.
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Several years ago, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) conducted a special examination of 24 banks as a result of which critical intervention was required at that time. It was after that exercise that the AMCON Bill passed in June 2010 was signed into law on July 19, 2010. Since its enactment in 2010, the National Assembly has amended the AMCON Act thrice – in May 2015, July 2019, and November 2021 respectively to strengthen the corporation’s powers to deliver on its tough debt recovery mandate.
For the records, AMCON purchased 12,743 NPLs or EBAs worth N3.797 trillion from 22 eligible financial institutions (EFIs) for a purchase price of N1.8 trillion. Various collaterals cover the purchases. The corporation also injected a total sum of N2.2 trillion to ten (10) banks – bridged and owned banks (intervened banks) – bringing net book value (NAV) to zero. AMCON capitalised three EFIs and provided financial accommodation to five.
Explaining the funding model of the corporation, Kuru said: “AMCON’s intervention activity was funded by debt obligation of N4.65 trillion (as at 31st December 2018), which is to be repaid, from internal and external sources to the CBN by 2024. It is worth knowing that, at conception, it was envisaged that AMCON being a loss minimisation entity would repay 30 per cent of the obligation, whilst the balance is expected from external recovery sources as provided in the AMCON Act.”
