The Debt Management Office has opened subscriptions for two Federal Government’s savings bonds, each priced at N1,000 per unit at 17.06 and 18.046 per cent, respectively.

It disclosed this in a statement accessed on its website by PUNCH on Wednesday.

The DMO offered a two-year savings bond expected to mature on April 9, 2026, at 17.046 per cent per year.

This bond is designed for retail investors and offers guaranteed quarterly interest payments along with repayment of the principal at maturity.

The second is a three-year savings bond due to mature on April 9, 2027, at an interest rate of 18.046 per cent.

Similar to the two-year bond, this option also provides quarterly interest payments and principal repayment.

DMO is a government agency established to centrally coordinate the management of Nigeria’s debt.

Investor interest in the FGN Savings Bond has been on the rise, with a 19.3 per cent Year-on-year increase in subscription value, reaching N17.9bn by the end of December 2023, largely due to favorable interest rates.

These savings bonds, like all government securities, are backed by the full faith and credit of the federal government. They also qualify as securities under the Trustees Investment Act.

Additionally, they meet the criteria for tax exemption and are considered government securities according to the Company Income Tax Act and Personal Income Tax Act.

The bonds are listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited and serve as liquid assets for banks’ liquidity ratio calculations.

The subscription period for these bonds began on April 1, 2024, and it will close by April 5, 2024.

The settlement date is April 9, 2024, while the coupon payment dates are as follows: Quarterly – July 9, October 9, January 9, and April 9.

The DMO noted that “the minimum subscription is N5,000, with multiples of N1,000 thereafter, up to a maximum of N50 million. Interest is paid quarterly, and the principal is repaid as a bullet payment upon maturity.”

Earlier, DMO initiated the subscription process for two-year and three-year Federal Government of Nigeria bonds for March 2024 with an interest rate of up to 16.097 per cent.

This announcement was made in a statement on the DMO’s official website. The subscription period is set to last for five days, running from March 4 to March 8, 2024.