How Oyo recorded ₦103bn IGR in 2025 — Commissioner

The Oyo State Government has attributed its record ₦103 billion Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2025 to the deliberate application of science, data and technology, a performance that surpassed the total IGR recorded by the state under the previous two administrations.

The Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, disclosed this on Wednesday while addressing journalists at a two-day Artificial Intelligence (AI) training organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at the American Open University, Global Campus, Ibadan.

Oyelade said the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde achieved the revenue milestone without increasing taxes, but through strategic digitisation reforms across government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

He cited the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development as a key example, noting that digital reforms in the ministry helped block revenue leakages, reduce fraud and expand the state’s economic base.

According to the commissioner, the state’s success in governance mirrors the opportunities available to journalists, urging media professionals to embrace the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence to improve their work.

Describing the training as timely and historic, Oyelade said it comes at a critical period when journalism is being challenged by misgovernance, corruption and the rise of undemocratic practices globally.

“While Artificial Intelligence comes with its challenges, its proper deployment can strengthen news gathering, improve investigative reporting and enhance public trust in the media,” he said, adding that studies have shown AI is already an integral part of modern journalism and will remain so in the future.

In his lecture titled “Empowering Journalists with Artificial Intelligence for Ethical, Innovative and Future-Ready Journalism,” the Vice Chancellor of the American Open University, Prof. Seyi Akanbi, described AI as a strategic necessity in contemporary journalism.

He said Artificial Intelligence is reshaping how news is gathered, verified and disseminated, while also posing ethical challenges such as deepfakes, algorithmic bias and automated misinformation, which journalists must be prepared to confront.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Oyo State Council, Akeem Abbas, described AI as an urgent tool journalists must master to remain relevant and effective in their constitutional role as watchdogs of society.