Kaduna leads northern states in IGR, rakes in N14.16bn in 2 months

Kaduna State has been the leading Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) performing subnational among the 19 northern states in the last two years, owing to Governor Uba Sani’s tax reforms.

The Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) said this in a statement on Friday, March 21, 2025.

The KADIRS said this in a reaction to the claim that suggests a decline in IGR under Sani’s administration.

It stated:As a validation of the reforms in the revenue sector of the state under Governor Uba Sani, in 2023 and 2024, Kaduna State collected IGR of N62.48 billion and N71 billion respectively, consolidating its place as the leading IGR performing state in northern Nigeria in the last two years.

“Furthermore, in the months of January and February 2025, Kaduna State has already collected an IGR of N7.46 billion and N6.68 billion respectively, bringing the total revenue collected in two months to N14.16 billion.”

The KADIRS noted that records of states IGR collections are in the public domain, saying Sani has introduced a series of reforms that have improved tax collection and made tax payment easy, including an integrated tax administration portal (PAYKADUNA), financial inclusion initiatives, enhanced taxpayers, and stakeholders’ engagement.

“The first-of-its-kind interactive voice response system for taxpayer complains redressal among several initiatives that have resulted in improved tax administration in the state,” the agency added.

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The KADIRS further expatiated on the current automation process of tax collection, saying: “Payments are made through the PAYKADUNA portal or via pay direct channels from which they are swept directly into the State’s Treasury Single Accounts.

“This process ensures that staff of the Service have no access or interaction with tax collections.

“The IGR account is a collection and transit account and not an expenditure account therefore, it is highly inaccurate to think that any amounts can be withdrawn from it to service any interests.

“The current level of IGR collection of the state speaks to the competence of the Chairman, the management team of the Service and the support they enjoy from the state to function as a professional and apolitical revenue authority of the state.”

The KADIRS also debunked the rumour that the former chairman was removed for calling out the Speaker for refusing to pay taxes, noting that he had served “his entire four-year tenure as provided in the Kaduna State Tax Codification and Consolidation Law, after which a new Executive Chairman was appointed by the Executive Governor.”

The KADIRS further stated that it has never received any instructions to facilitate the payment of N100 million to either an individual or organisation.

The Star