The Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS) has set a target of N66.4 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for 2027, representing a 51.3 per cent increase from the current baseline of N43.9 billion.
The Service also warned Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) against collecting government revenue in cash, describing the practice as a criminal offence.
The position was made known during a strategic engagement between KGIRS and revenue-generating MDAs at the Service’s headquarters in Lokoja.
The meeting focused on reviewing existing revenue sources, identifying areas for improvement and developing strategies to strengthen revenue mobilisation across the state.
Speaking at the engagement, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Internally Generated Revenue, Dr Rahman Nasir Ichanyi, said all government revenue collection processes must be automated, transparent and traceable.
Ichanyi urged the participating MDAs to adopt innovative approaches to identifying legitimate revenue opportunities within their respective mandates.
He said increased IGR would strengthen the government’s capacity to provide essential services and meet its obligations to citizens.
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Earlier, the Executive Chairman of KGIRS, Dr Sule Salihu Enehe, represented by the Director of Income Tax, Mr Emmanuel Yusufu, challenged the MDAs to develop a deeper understanding of revenue generation and ensure that all revenue estimates were properly documented and accounted for.
Enehe urged the agencies to review their existing revenue lines, identify areas where collections could be improved, activate dormant sources and explore legitimate avenues for expanding their revenue bases.
He stressed that achieving the N66.4 billion target would require collective responsibility, greater efficiency and stronger collaboration between KGIRS and the various revenue-generating MDAs.
According to the Service, the engagement formed part of its broader strategy to consolidate the gains recorded under the leadership of Enehe and further expand Kogi State’s revenue base.
KGIRS said that since Enehe assumed office in 2021, monthly IGR had risen from about N750 million in November 2021 to between N3.5 billion and N4 billion currently.
The Service attributed the increase to reforms in tax administration, particularly greater automation and the introduction of a Central Billing System aimed at reducing revenue leakages and improving collection efficiency.
KGIRS further disclosed that it was strengthening technology-driven revenue administration under the new law, with emphasis on compliance, transparency, proper documentation and mobilisation of additional revenue sources.
The stakeholders’ meeting also provided an opportunity for KGIRS and the MDAs to assess revenue performance, identify existing gaps, revive dormant revenue lines and establish measurable strategies for achieving the 2027 projection.
The Service maintained that continued emphasis on automation, compliance and broader revenue mobilisation would strengthen revenue administration and support efforts to achieve the projected N66.4 billion IGR target.