How Gov Mbah grew Enugu IGR from N26.8bn to N406.7bn with non tax revenue

The Enugu State government has explained how it grew it's internally generated revenue, IGR, from N26.8bn in 2022 to N406.7bn in 2025.

Giving details of the revenue progression, on Sunday, the Chairman of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service, ENSIRS,

Mr. Emmanuel Nnamani stated that the increase the revenue were mostly through non tax revenues. 

Nnamani said that the state shifted from tax revenue driven funding in 2024 and focused on natural resources recovery and revival of moribund assets to move our revenue into stability.

Such assets, Nnamani disclosed included coal mineral deposits which he said is selling high, particularly the Enugu coal adjourned to be among the best coals in the world.

He also noted that there were revival of other state assets such as Sunrise floor mill, the Niger Gas and other industries that were moribund but were revitalized by the state government.

Subsequently, the government used the generated revenue in many landmark projects and services within the state.

Nnamani recalled that state's total IGR in 2022 was N26.8bn made of tax revenue of N16.2bn and non-tax revenue of N10.6bn, but that on assumption of office Governor Peter Mbah mandated that the ENSIRS must ensure to ramp up the state’s IGR in a profound way that reduces the state’s reliance on the Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, receipts. 

THE Governor also directed that the ENSIRS to look beyond tax revenue in boosting the state’s IGR and gave a matching order to generate state salaries, pensions and overhead internally.

"Consequently, in 2023, we pushed the IGR to N37.4bn, made up of N22.9bn tax revenue and N14.5bn non-tax revenue. In 2024, we moved the IGR to N180.5b made up of N30bn tax revenue and N150bn non-tax revenue. At that point, Enugu State had started thinking differently and dependence on FAAC for every government activity had drastically reduced. 

"The shift from tax revenue driven funding had happened as at 2024. Enugu State focused on natural resources and recovery and revival moribund assets to move our revenue into stability.

"Consequently, the Governor Peter Mbah Administration has been able to further scale up the IGR, as Enugu State collected a total IGR of N406,774,321,758.87 out of the N509,947,000,000 projected in the 2025 Appropriation Law," Nnamani disclosed.

The figure represented a performance of 80 per cent from budget perspective as well as a 125 per cent IGR growth from 2024 figure of N180.5b; and a revenue performance that has shown that Enugu State has developed fiscal resilience and sustainability. 

"It is important to state clearly that out of this N406.7bn IGR, tax revenue is just N51.5bn representing 12.6 per cent of the total IGR in 2025, while non-tax revenue is N355.2bn, representing 87.4 per cent of the total IGR. 

"As I stated, earlier, most of our non-tax revenue is driven by recovery, revitalisation, and optimisation of state assets, many of which were hitherto moribund and fallow assets.

"If you look at the trend, you would see a conscious effort to grow the tax revenue of Enugu State. Just in 2025, the tax revenue grew from N30bn in 2024 to N51.5bn in 2025, this represents 72 per cent growth year-on-year. It also shows resilience in growth, outperforming tax revenue growth of 31 per cent in 2024.

"This is imperative because tax revenue is most sustaining for any national and subnational government. This is the reason we have intensified efforts to grow it in line with the provisions of tax laws.

"What we have done with tax revenue and by extension the non-tax revenue like fees, levies, and assets is to plug the leakages in revenues, introducing technology to ensure traceability, accountability and transparency.

"2026 is another year to watch out for Enugu State. Projected IGR is N870bn and tax revenue is expected to dwindle as we implement a pro-citizen tax reform. However, we are very optimistic that we will beat economic expectations in tax revenue as compliance with tax laws has gone up in Enugu State. 

"The feedback we get from our people and businesses on a daily basis is that they are now encouraged to pay their tax and fulfill their other financial obligations to government by the fact that they see the transformations going on in every sector of the state under the present administration – the infrastructure, the 260 Smart Green Schools and the 260 Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centre spread across the 260 electoral wards, the Enugu International Conference Centre (ICC), the ICC 5-Star Hotel, the Enugu International Hospital, the Enugu Air, the five modern bus terminals, the 100 CNG buses, and indeed the over 2,000 completed and ongoing projects across the state, just to name a few.

"Therefore, I certainly will not conclude without appreciating the good people of Enugu State, who not only vested their mandate in Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, but have continued to support his administration succeed. I want to assure Ndi Enugu that we will continue on the path of accountability, transparency, and traceability in executing our own piece of the mandate as Enugu State Internal Revenue Service," Nnamani pledged.