IGR: Kwara misses out of states with improved collection

Kwara has been left out of the state with improved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) have shown.

The report covers IGR between January and September 2019.

Described as the start of an amazing year for the Nigerian economy as states generated the total sum of N986.2 billion, the data, the NBS report noted, proved a positive up scale from a previously generated sum of N844.3 billion in the corresponding period of 2018 with 16.8% boost in 9-months.

Reviewing the states, records show that Lagos and Rivers had the biggest IGR across all the states with the nation’s commercial hub generating 297.09 billion, representing 30% of IGR generated by all the states in the country.

Similarly, Rivers State generated the total sum of N107.02 billion IGR, representing 11% of total IGR. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ranks third with a total of N55.7 billion during the period under review.

While Lagos, Rivers and other states recorded the biggest IGR during the period under review, Zamfara, Ekiti and Osun recorded biggest growth in IGR in 2019.

According to the NBS data, Zamfara generated N4.45 billion IGR between January and September 2018, while the state’s IGR rose to N10.59 billion in the same period in 2019. This implies that Zamfara recorded a 138% increase in its total IGR during the period under review.

Also, Ekiti, Osun and Kebbi States rank second, third and fourth respectively with the biggest growth in IGR. Ekiti recorded N8.03 billion IGR in 2019 (9-month) from N3.97 billion in 2018, a 109% rise in IGR.

On the other hand, Osun State IGR rose from N7.5 billion in 2018 to N14.15 billion between in 2019, representing 88% in its IGR increase.

Kebbi generated N5.93 billion in 2019, compared to N3.17 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2018.

Revenue generation across states in Nigeria remains a critical concern to most states; hence, the rise in IGR recorded in some of these states is a welcome development, as this is expected to ease off pressures from the fiscal constraint currently witnessed in the economy.