LAGOS — Bank credit to Nigeria's private sector fell by N10.31 trillion, or about 11 per cent, in the first seven months of 2026, from N93.74 trillion in January to N83.43 trillion in July, according to Central Bank of Nigeria data. It reached a low of N80.5 trillion in April but remains 9.21 per cent higher than a year earlier. President Bola Tinubu recently urged banks to look beyond profits and finance the real economy. Professor Adebayo Adams told Daily Trust the decline reflects banks shifting away from lending because of bad loans and high borrowing costs.