Kwara Emerges Among Nigeria’s More Self-Reliant States as IGR Soars Under AbdulRazaq 

Kwara Emerges Among Nigeria’s More Self-Reliant States as IGR Soars Under AbdulRazaq 

Kwara State has emerged among Nigeria’s relatively more fiscally self-reliant states, following a sustained rise in its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

The development follows a recent ranking by TheCableIndex which showed that 25 states depended on Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) transfers for more than 80 per cent of their revenues in the first quarter of 2026. Kwara was notably absent from the list.

Figures from the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KW-IRS) show that the state’s IGR rose from N30.6 billion in 2019 to N56.4 billion in 2023, N69.2 billion in 2024 and a record N92.2 billion in 2025.

The growth has been attributed to reforms in tax administration, digitalisation, expansion of the taxpayer base, improved compliance and measures to reduce revenue leakages.

Kwara’s improved fiscal position has also been reflected in independent assessments. BudgIT’s 2025 State of States Report ranked the state third nationally in subnational fiscal performance, up from 10th in 2021, and fifth among states with the least dependence on federally distributed revenue.

The state generated about N39.1 billion in IGR in the first half of 2026, with the second quarter exceeding its pro-rata target.

A major investment supporting the revenue drive is the new Kwara Revenue House in Ilorin, being developed to centralise KW-IRS operations, improve taxpayer services and strengthen revenue administration.

The increase in IGR has coincided with increased government investment across several sectors.