Economy
Lagos Generates More IGR than 30 States Combined—Report
By Dipo Olowookere
A new report released by Economic Confidential has revealed that Lagos State generates more Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) than 30 of the 36 states in the federation combined.
The report by this economic intelligence magazine indicates that the IGR of Lagos State of N333 billion is higher than that of 30 States put together whose IGR are extremely low and poor compared to their allocations from the Federation Account.
The states with impressive over 30 percent IGR apart from Lagos are Ogun, Rivers, Edo, Kwara, Enugu and Kano States who generated N607 billion in total, while the remaining states merely generated a total of N327 billion in 2017.
In its Annual States Viability Index (ASVI), the reputable journal also said only 17 states are insolvent as their IGRs in 2017 were far below 10 percent of their receipts from the Federation Account Allocations (FAA) in the same year.
The index, carefully and painstakingly computed, proved that without the monthly disbursement from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), many states remain unviable, and cannot survive without the federally collected revenue, mostly from the oil sector.
The IGR are generated by states through Pay-As-You-Earn Tax (PAYE), Direct Assessment, Road Taxes and revenues from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Recently, the magazine published the total allocations received by each state in Nigeria from FAA from January to December 2017.
The latest report on IGR revealed that only Lagos and Ogun States generated more revenue than their allocations from the Federation Account by 165 percent and 107 percent respectively and no any other state has up to 100 percent of IGR to the federal largesse.
The IGR of the 36 states of the federation totalled N931 billion in 2017 as compared to N801.95 billion in 2016, an increase of N130 billion.
While the report provides shocking discoveries, the states with less than 10 percent IGR have jumped to 17 from 14 states in the previous year 2016.
The poor states may not stay afloat outside FAA due to socio-political crises including insurgency, militancy, armed-banditry and herdsmen attacks. Other states lack foresight in revenue generation drive coupled with arm-chair governance.
The states that may not survive without the Federation Account due to poor internal revenue generation are Bauchi which realized a meagre N4.3 billion compared with a total of N85 billion it received from FAA in 2017 representing about 5 percent; Yobe with IGR of N3.59 billion compared with FAA of N67 billion representing 5.33 percent; Borno N4.9 billion compared with FAA of N92 billion representing 5.41 percent; Kebbi with IGR of N4.39 billion compared with N76 billion of FAA representing 5.77 percent and Katsina with IGR of N6bn compared to N103 billion of FAA representing 5.8 percent within the period under review.
Other poor internal revenue earners are Niger which generated N6.5 billion compared to FAA of N87 billion representing 7.43 percent; Jigawa N6.6 billion compared to FAA of N85 billion representing 7.75 percent; Imo N6.8 billion compared with FAA of N85 billion representing 8.1 percent and Akwa Ibom N15 billion compared with FAA of N197 billion representing 8.06 percent, Ekiti N4.9 billion compared with FAA of N59 billion representing 8.38 percent; Osun N6.4 billion compared with FAA of N76 billion representing 8.45 percent, Adamawa N6.2 billion compared with FAA of N72.9 billion representing 8.49 percent, Taraba N5.7 billion compared with FAA of N66 billion representing 8.70 percent and Ebonyi N5.1 billion compared with FAA of N57.8 billion representing 8 percent.
Meanwhile, Lagos State remained steadfast in its number one position in IGR with a total revenue generation of N333 billion compared with FAA of N201 billion which translates to 165 percent in the 12 months of 2017.
It was followed by Ogun State which generated IGR of N74.83 billion compared with FAA of N69 billion representing 107 percent.
Others with impressive IGR include Rivers with N89 billion compared with FAA of N178 billion representing 50 percent; Edo with IGR of N25 billion compared with FAA of N75 billion representing 33 percent. Kwara State however with a low receipt from the Federation Account has greatly improved in its IGR of N19 billion compared with FAA of N61 billion representing 32 percent while Enugu with IGR of N22 billion compared with FAA of N69 billion representing 32 percent.
Kano generated N42 billion compared with FAA of N143 billion representing 30 percent while Delta State earned N51 billion IGR against FAA of N175 billion representing 29 percent.
The Economic Confidential ASVI further showed that only three states in the entire Northern region have IGR above 20 percent. They are Kwara, Kano, and Kaduna States.
Meanwhile, 10 states in the South recorded over 20 percent IGR in 2017. They are Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Edo, Enugu, Delta, Cross River, Anambra, Oyo and Abia States.
The states with the poorest IGR of less than 10 percent in the South are Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Osun, Ekiti, Akwa-Ibom and Imo States while in the North; Gombe, Zamfara, Taraba, Adamawa, Jigawa, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi, Borno, Yobe and Bauchi States.
Meanwhile, the IGR of the respective states can improve through aggressive diversification of the economy to productive sectors rather than relying on the monthly Federation Account revenues that largely come from the oil sector.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) and the Joint Revenue Board (JRB) have issued new guidelines clarifying the taxation of virtual assets in Nigeria.
The guidelines provide an administrative framework for the taxation of virtual assets and specify the tax obligations of individuals and businesses operating in the sector.
According to a public notice issued by the two agencies, the framework covers registration, reporting and record-keeping requirements, valuation principles and the tax treatment of virtual asset transactions.
It applies to taxpayers, Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace operators, tax practitioners and other persons engaged in virtual asset-related activities.
The NRS and JRB said the guidelines were developed in line with the provisions of the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 and the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025.
The two bodies said the release was aimed at providing clarity, certainty and consistency in the administration of Nigeria’s tax laws as the country’s virtual asset ecosystem continues to evolve.
The agencies added that the framework would promote voluntary compliance, enhance transparency and support the development of a fair and efficient tax system for digital asset transactions.
They urged all affected taxpayers and stakeholders to familiarise themselves with the guidelines and ensure compliance with the applicable tax obligations.
The guidelines are available on the official websites of the two agencies.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Manufacturers are yet to benefit from relief on the burden of multiple taxes and levies despite the enactment of the Nigeria Tax Act 2025, according to the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).
The association, in its Manufacturers CEO Confidence Index (MCCI) report for the second quarter of 2026, said manufacturers continued to face multiple tax collectors and regulatory agencies during the period.
Director-General of MAN, Mr Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said the new tax law, which was expected to reduce the burden of multiple taxation, had yet to deliver the intended benefits.
“Manufacturers complained that they were still met with multiple tax collectors and regulators in Q2 2026. It follows that the implementation of the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 is yet to achieve its objective of relieving manufacturers of the burden of taxes and levies,” he said.
According to the report, Nigeria’s business environment remains largely unsupportive of manufacturing growth, with local sourcing of raw materials emerging as the only indicator that recorded noticeable improvement.
MAN, however, warned that the gains in local sourcing could be undermined by worsening insecurity in parts of the country.
The association attributed the improvement largely to persistent foreign exchange constraints, which have forced many manufacturers to source inputs locally.
Despite this, it said excessive regulation and multiple taxation continue to weigh heavily on manufacturers.
The report showed that manufacturers recorded a modest increase in sales volume during the second quarter, but rising production, distribution and logistics costs continued to erode profitability.
It added that capacity utilisation, production levels, investment and employment remained broadly unchanged during the review period.
MAN further observed that although recent foreign exchange reforms had helped stabilise the naira, inadequate foreign currency supply remained a major constraint to manufacturing operations.
Other key challenges identified in the report include poor infrastructure, high production costs, raw material shortages and unfavourable trade policies.
The association said the findings underscore the continued pressure on manufacturers despite recent fiscal and foreign exchange reforms, stressing the need for more effective implementation of policies aimed at improving the operating environment for the real sector.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government spent N3.14 trillion on servicing its domestic debt in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, according to the Debt Management Office (DMO).
The figure, contained in the DMO’s latest domestic debt service report for Q1 2026, comprised N2.97 trillion in interest payments and N169.68 billion in principal repayments.
According to the report, the government spent N741.82 billion on domestic debt service in January before the figure rose to N967.67 billion in February.
Debt service increased further to N1.43 trillion in March, bringing total spending for the quarter to N3.14 trillion.
The March figure represented a 47.7 per cent increase from the N967.67 billion recorded in February and was 92.7 per cent higher than the N741.82 billion spent in January.
The debt office said interest payments accounted for approximately 94.6 per cent of the total domestic debt service during the quarter.
Treasury bills accounted for the largest share of interest payments at N1 trillion, while interest payments on Federal Government bonds stood at N1.96 trillion.
The government also paid N4.24 billion in interest on FGN savings bonds during the period.
The debt management body said the principal component of the debt service comprised N169.68 billion in repayments on local-denominated promissory notes.
Overall, domestic debt service rose significantly throughout the quarter, with March alone accounting for nearly half of the N3.14 trillion spent between January and March.
