By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
The Executive Chairman of the Jigawa State Internal Revenue Service (JIRS), Dr. Nasiru Sabo, has announced that the state is on course to achieve an ambitious N100 billion Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) target for 2025.
Speaking with Online Tribune shortly after the opening session of a two-day workshop on Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) and gender-responsive frameworks, Dr. Sabo disclosed that the agency had already generated N23.8 billion in the first half of the year—more than double its initial projections.
“This is a very strong start, and we remain optimistic about meeting, and even surpassing, the N100 billion target by December 2025,” he said.
The workshop, organized by Prime Initiative for Community Development in collaboration with the Tax Justice and Governance Platform and supported by Christian Aid, held at the Manpower Development Institute in Dutse.
Dr. Sabo noted that the agency had also recorded major growth in the previous year. “In 2024, we set a 200 percent revenue growth target and were able to generate N51.7 billion by December—up from N16.5 billion in 2023. Now, with N23.8 billion already collected in just six months, we are confident we are on track,” he stated.
He attributed the success to the full support of Governor Malam Umar Namadi, who gave the agency a free hand and backed reforms aimed at modernizing tax administration in the state.
“The Governor has been 100 percent supportive of our drive in both 2024 and 2025. With this kind of political will, we are hopeful of meeting our targets,” Dr. Sabo added.
On the significance of the workshop, the JIRS Chairman said the aim is to review the state’s grievance redress mechanisms and ensure inclusivity in taxpayer engagement.
“It is important that every taxpayer in Jigawa, regardless of gender or social status, has access to a fair and responsive grievance resolution process,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, Executive Director of Prime Initiative, Malam Muhammad Abdu Dutse, said the workshop seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of Jigawa’s taxpayer grievance channels using an existing scorecard tool.
“We are here to identify strengths, gaps, and areas needing urgent reform. The goal is to enhance service delivery through hotlines, WhatsApp, email, social media, and IVR facilities,” he explained.
He added that the workshop would also help design a framework for collecting and analyzing gender-disaggregated data, ensuring that women, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups are adequately represented in grievance reporting and response systems.
“The idea is to strengthen the capacity of the GRM Unit and JIRS staff to offer inclusive, citizen-focused services using integrated tools, continuous training, and accountability systems,” he said.