Naijacentral Naijacentral
By Gideon Arinze
The Enugu State Government says it generated N406.77 billion as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2025, marking a significant leap in the state’s revenue profile, with a bold target of N870 billion set for 2026.
The Executive Chairman of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS), Emmanuel Nnamani, disclosed this yesterday, during a press conference in Enugu, where he provided updates on the agency’s 2025 performance and other milestones recorded under the administration of Governor Peter Mbah.
According to Nnamani, tax revenue accounted for N51.5 billion, representing 12.6 per cent of the total IGR, while non-tax revenue stood at N355.2 billion, representing 87.4 per cent.
He said the 2026 revenue target of N870 billion would be driven largely by the development of the New Enugu City, which is projected to contribute over 40 per cent of the target, about N300 billion, through land sales, property registration, documentation, and other commercial activities.
“The New Enugu City will generate over 40 per cent of the N870 billion target. Investors are already taking over for industries, shopping malls, and other commercial activities,” he said.
Nnamani explained that before the Mbah administration assumed office in May 2023, Enugu’s total revenue for 2022 stood at N26.8 billion, comprising N16.2 billion in tax revenue and N10.6 billion in non-tax revenue.
“When we came on board, it was clear that things had to change. The state was overly dependent on FAAC. We were asked to focus more on non-tax revenue areas, where the government has more advantage, because salaries, pensions and overheads must be generated internally,” he said.
He noted that from June 2023, when the administration took charge, the state generated N37.4 billion. In 2024, revenue rose sharply to N180.5 billion, representing a 370 per cent increase. In 2025, the state realised N406.77 billion from a target of N509.9 billion—about 80 per cent performance.
Of the 2025 revenue, Nnamani said the bulk came from non-tax sources, including natural resources, sale of land and houses, disposal of moribund assets that were not contributing to the state’s growth, and coal deposits, which he said had “started contributing massively” to the state’s revenue.
He stressed, however, that tax revenue remains the most sustainable source of income for any government.
“We are making conscious efforts to grow our tax revenue because that is mostly sustainable. The governor is growing the state GDP to a level where tax revenue will rise and eventually outperform non-tax revenue. When the economy grows, tax revenue grows as well,” he said.
Nnamani added that the government plans to replicate the Enugu City model in the New Enugu, where over 10,000 hectares of land will be developed for housing, industries, hospitals and other infrastructure, creating employment and expanding the state’s revenue base.
He said the revenue generated so far is being deployed to strategic development projects, including the construction of over 290 Smart Green Schools, Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres, and the revival of moribund assets such as United Palm Products, the Presidential Hotel, and the International Conference Centre among others.
