Rising cases of kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, and robbery in the north-western region of Nigeria are threatening Kaduna State’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), which hit N50.8 billion, making it the fifth highest revenue collector in 2020.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that the state climbed to the fifth position in the country, overtaking every other in the Northern region except the Federal Capital Territory, trailing behind Lagos, Rivers, FCT, and Delta states.
The increased revenue for the state means its citizens can realistically expect the government to better fund social and infrastructure programmes that would lead to a better standard of life for the people.
“The state has digitalised its revenue collection processes, and this has helped to reduce leakages and wastages,” said Ayodeji Ebo, head, retail investment, Chapel Hill Denham, in a telephone response to questions.
“Also, Kaduna State has been deliberate in encouraging big investors to invest in the state by giving them some incentives and the results are showing now,” Ebo said.
According to Ebo, the adoption of technology in revenue collection has helped stem the tide of revenue loss and this will help fund social and infrastructural projects in the state.
Between 2019 and 2020, Kaduna with an estimated population of 12 million people grew its IGR from N44.9 billion to N50.8 billion, a 12.9 percent increase.
The key pillars of the raise in the IGR strategy include the professionalism of the state’s internal revenue service, the infusion of technology, and a robust know-your-people scheme that involved the enumeration of households in the state.
