Annals of the Social Science Academy of Nigeria 20(1) 2015 DOI: 10.36108/ssan/1502.02.0130
The Future of Banking System and Economic Development in Nigeria
Olu Ajakaiye and M. Adetunji Babatunde
Abstract
This study examined the future of banking system and economic development in Nigeria in the context of the demand following hypothesis. Although, the Nigerian economy has witnessed steady growth, the productive base of the economy is narrow. This therefore requires that banks must engage in an effective financial intermediation process to aid the transformation of the real sector as an engine of growth. However, while the deposits mobilized and assets base of the commercial banks has increased in leap and bounds, the real sector access to credit is on the decline. Rather, the bulk of the funds are invested on government short term securities given their risk free characteristics which reflect the lazy bank syndrome. Prohibitively high cost of credit and existence of hidden charges also inhibit real sector access to commercial banks loan. Hence, to reconnect the banking system with the real sector, there is a need to discourage armchair banking business model and encourage supportive banking business model, lending and secure appropriate maturity profile of loans to the real sectors, promote modified collateral bank lending model, and encourage specialization of bank branches. These are expected to aid the growth of the real sector and fast track the process of economic development in Nigeria.
Keywords: Banks, Savings, Loans, Real Sector, Development