The Gombe State Government has announced a plan to generate N39 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to support its 2026 fiscal year budget.
The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Salihu Baba-Alkali, announced the target during the public presentation of the 2026 budget breakdown, following Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s earlier presentation of the proposed budget to the State House of Assembly, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
According to Baba-Alkali, the N39 billion projection—an increase of 19.22 per cent compared to the N32.7 billion targeted for 2025—is bold but realistic, particularly in light of the strong performance of the Gombe State Internal Revenue Service (GIRS).
He noted that in 2025, the service not only met but exceeded its revenue target by 103 per cent, even before the end of the fiscal year.
The commissioner said the state government had strengthened the revenue service to enable it to meet the target.
According to Baba-Alkali, the IGR will complement other funds needed to sustain and complete the massive ongoing projects in the state.
State government commends Internal Revenue Service
He urged the service to improve its revenue collection records, to boost the state’s revenue base and reduce over reliance on federal allocations.
“I commend the Gombe State Internal Revenue Service for achieving 103 per cent of its total amount budgeted to be received in 2025.
“I appeal to the good people of Gombe to support the state government’s infrastructural development by willingly and regularly paying their taxes,” he said.
Heavy Reliance on Federal Allocations and Loan Drawdowns
Beyond IGR, the state government expects to receive substantial federal allocations in 2026.
Baba-Alkali said the state was expecting N80 billion from the Statutory Allocation, N65 billion from the state’s share of VAT and N132 billion from FAAC receipts.
He said the VAT would contribute 25.5 per cent of the expected total revenue, while other FAAC receipts amounting to N132 billion contribute 41.77 per cent of the expected total revenue.
Baba-Alkali said the state would externally borrow N186.7 billion, contributing 82.76 per cent of the total capital receipts.
“It is important to note that the huge sum of external borrowing is mainly a drawdown from multilateral organisations, which the Federal Government borrow on behalf of states.
“These externally borrowed funds are coming mainly from the World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank,” he said.
Baba-Alkali reiterated the state government’s commitment to reducing over-reliance on federal transfers in the long term.
What you should know
In the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) generated a combined N3.63 trillion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2024.
The data showed that Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) rose to a cumulative N10.88 trillion between 2021 and 2024.
Also, Nigeria’s 36 states shared a cumulative N4.43 trillion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) between January and July 2025, with receipts of oil-rich states accounting for about 35% of total disbursements.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and FAAC reports show that Delta State received the highest net allocation during the period—N361.23 billion—followed closely by Rivers (N301.18 billion), Lagos (N279.03 billion), Akwa Ibom (N278.11 billion), and Bayelsa (N274.81 billion).
