Kaduna reports ₦220bn tax revenue after taxpayer engagement

Kaduna State generated about ₦220bn in tax revenue between 2023 and 2025 without what the state government described as brutal enforcement, Commissioner for Finance Mohammed Ibrahim Tanko said on Tuesday. Tanko, representing Governor Uba Sani at a North-West zonal stakeholders’ meeting in Kaduna, said the region generated about ₦916bn during the period. He attributed Kaduna’s performance to continued discussions with taxpayers, businesses and other stakeholders.

According to the commissioner, the engagement encouraged voluntary compliance and showed that revenue could be increased without unnecessary pressure on taxpayers. He urged the Office of the Tax Ombud to establish a zonal office in Kaduna to serve taxpayers and revenue authorities across the North-West. Tanko also said the state had changed how internally generated revenue was used, placing greater emphasis on infrastructure and other development projects.

He said taxpayers should be able to see tangible benefits from the taxes they pay. The meeting was organised by the Office of the Tax Ombud around the theme “Promoting Fairness in Tax and Revenue Administration”. Its chief executive, John Nwabueze, said the agency was an independent, impartial and non-judicial institution for complaints involving taxes, levies, fees, customs, excise and duties.

Nwabueze said the office had introduced a digital complaints portal, a case-management system and a toll-free call centre. He stressed that the Ombud could not cancel legitimate tax liabilities or shield taxpayers from lawful obligations, while urging revenue authorities to follow due process. The acting chairman of the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service, Mohammed Lawal, said the Ombud had created an alternative to enforcement or litigation by giving taxpayers and authorities a channel to resolve disputes.