AMCON RECOVERS OVER N1.8TRILLION, REMAINS PROFITABLE YEAR-ON-YEAR

14th December 2023

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has so far recovered over N1.8trillion. This was disclosed on Wednesday by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation Mr Ahmed Lawan Kuru OFR.

Kuru spoke at the first interactive session with members of the 10th Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions at the New Senate Building, National Assembly Complex. The committee is chaired by Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru FCA.

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 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 N34.65billion in 2021. In year 2022, the Corporation made N58.59 billion profit. The loss captured in the Management Account as of 30th September 2023 was because interest accrual on the CBN loan note had been charged as 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 at 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 profits by December 2023 once the receipts from the sinking fund is reflected in its Profit or Loss Account accordingly.

It would be recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had 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 by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 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 powers of the Corporation to deliver on its tough mandate of debt recovery.

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. The purchases are covered by various collaterals. 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 capitalized three EFIs and provided financial accommodation to five.

Explaining the funding model of the Corporation, which confuses most people, Kuru stated that “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 minimization entity would repay 30 per cent of the obligation, whilst the balance is expected from external recovery sources as provided in the AMCON Act.