Uba Sani, Governor of Kaduna State, has said that Nigeria generated approximately N21.6 trillion in revenue in the first half of 2026, representing a 49% increase over the corresponding period of 2025.
Sani stated this on Wednesday in Kaduna at the 160th edition of the Joint Revenue Board meeting, themed “One Year of Tax Reform: Assessing Progress and Addressing Challenges”.
The governor said the increase reflected improved revenue mobilisation following reforms to Nigeria’s tax and revenue administration.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as a bold decision to reform the country’s tax architecture through new legislation, including the law that transformed the former Joint Tax Board into the Joint Revenue Board.
According to Sani, the reforms are intended to simplify the tax environment, reduce multiple and overlapping taxation, deploy technology and e-invoicing to minimise revenue leakages, and strengthen revenue administration.
He said the reforms should also make tax compliance easier and improve the relationship between government and taxpayers.
“The objective, therefore, should not simply be to collect more revenue. It should be to build a tax system in which compliance becomes easier, enforcement becomes more intelligent and voluntary participation becomes the norm rather than the exception,” Sani said.
Sani also said Kaduna State’s internally generated revenue had risen from barely N4 billion to about N10 billion monthly under the leadership of the immediate past Executive Chairman of the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service, Jerry Adams.
He commended Adams and the KADIRS team for the reported improvement, saying stronger domestic revenue mobilisation would enhance the capacity of governments to finance development.
The governor said Kaduna had continued to invest in technology-driven revenue collection, professionalise its revenue workforce and strengthen taxpayer education and engagement.
He said the State’s revenue strategy is focused on expanding the tax base rather than placing a heavier burden on existing compliant taxpayers.
“Our objective is not simply to increase collections, but to build a revenue system that is broader, fairer, more efficient and more sustainable,” he said.
Sani said effective tax administration should be based on fairness, transparency and predictability rather than coercion.
He also commended Zach Adedeji, Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, for his role in advancing the tax reform agenda.
Sani said the success of the reforms would ultimately depend on translating legislation into effective administration and building greater confidence among taxpayers.
“Above all, we seek to establish a relationship with taxpayers based not on fear, but on clarity, fairness and mutual responsibility,” he said.
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