South-west remitted ₦341.38B but received only ₦99.85B

Key Takeaways

  • South-West drives Nigeria’s VAT but gets little back. The region remitted ₦341.38B (53%) but received only ₦99.85B (29% return).
  • South-South remitted ₦121.84B but got ₦52.49B (43% return); Rivers alone gave ₦90.21B but got just ₦11.01B.
  • The North enjoyed the highest VAT gains, remitting ₦66.18B and receiving ₦161.11B (240% return); the North-West got ₦66.75B from ₦28.31B (235% return).
  • South-East and North-East got the biggest VAT boost. South-East: ₦10.94B remitted, ₦39.13B received (357.6% return); North-East: ₦14.94B remitted, ₦46.68B received (312.5% return).

Nigeria's VAT system creates a deep financial imbalance across its regions. The South-West, despite remitting more than half of the nation’s VAT revenue (₦341.38B), receives only 29% of what it pays. Similarly, the South-South remitted significantly (₦121.84B), but most of it came from Rivers (₦90.21B), which barely got anything back.

Meanwhile, the three Northern zones collectively remitted ₦66.18B but received ₦161.11B, a staggering 240% return. This means that the North got back more than twice what it remitted, while the South-West and South-South are the biggest net losers.

Perhaps the most striking disparity is in the South-East, which remitted just ₦10.94B but received ₦39.13B, a return of over 357%. Similarly, the North-East enjoyed a 312% return, receiving ₦46.68B despite remitting just ₦14.94B.

This VAT redistribution formula favours lower-contributing regions while heavily taxing high-revenue states, raising critical questions about fairness and sustainability in Nigeria's revenue-sharing model.

Source:

Federal account allocation committee (FAAC)

Period:

January 2025
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The South-West remitted ₦341.18B in VAT but received only ₦106.85B, getting back just ₦0.31 for every ₦1 remitted.
  • Lagos carried the South-West VAT burden, remitting ₦305.52B (89.6% of the region's total) but receiving only ₦62.59B (20.5% return), making it the highest net contributor in Nigeria.
  • Osun had the most disproportionate gain, remitting a mere ₦590M but receiving ₦7.73B, an astronomical 1,211% return—the highest redistribution gain in the South-West.
  • The entire South-West remitted ₦341.18B but received only ₦106.85B, meaning it got back just ₦0.31 for every ₦1 contributed, highlighting a severe VAT allocation imbalance.
  • Ondo and Ogun remitted only ₦3.3B but received ₦16B combined, far exceeding their generated VAT, while Lagos alone subsidised most of the allocations across the country.
Abia State generated just 1.9% of the South-East’s VAT revenue but took home 18.6% of the total the region received
  • The South-East remitted ₦10.94 billion in VAT but received ₦39.15 billion, a 257.7% increase, showing a high reliance on VAT sharing.
  • Abia, the lowest contributor (₦734M), received ₦7.29B, nearly 10× its remittance, making it the biggest relative beneficiary in the region.
  • Anambra, the highest contributor (₦3.56B), received only ₦8.72B, showing a sharing trend where high-contributing states do not necessarily receive the most.
  • Every South-East state received at least 2× what they remitted, with an average allocation of ₦7.83B despite an average contribution of just ₦2.19B.
Zamfara, the lowest contributor, received over 5× its input, while Kano, the highest contributor, had the lowest relative gain
  • The North-West region received ₦66.55 billion, more than double its remittance (₦28.31B), showing a heavy reliance on federal VAT sharing.
  • Zamfara, the lowest contributor (₦1.45B), received the highest percentage gain (+433%), getting ₦7.72B, while Kano, the highest contributor (₦9.59B), had the smallest relative gain (+41.5%).
  • Kaduna and Katsina, despite remitting ₦3.50B and ₦3.86B, received ₦10.18B and ₦10.01B, respectively, nearly tripling their remittance.
  • Kano remitted 34% of the zone’s VAT but received only 20.4% of the total allocation, reinforcing that VAT is distributed based on equality and not economic strength.
Every North-East state received at least 2× what they contributed (₦46.68 billion in total), a 211.6% increase
  • The North-East remitted only ₦14.98 billion but received ₦46.68 billion, showing a 211.6% gain due to sharing.
  • Taraba, the lowest contributor (₦0.94 billion), saw the highest percentage gain (635%) with an allocation of ₦6.91 billion, reinforcing that smaller economies benefit the most from VAT sharing.
  • Bauchi, despite remitting just ₦2.44 billion, received the highest allocation (₦8.93 billion), a 266% increase, illustrating how VAT is shared based on equality and population, not economic activity.
  • Every state in the region received at least 2× what they remitted, highlighting the North East’s reliance on VAT sharing and fuelling the fiscal federalism debate on whether VAT should be retained at the state level.
Lagos State’s IGR skyrocketed 112% from ₦384.26B in 2013 to a record ₦815.86B in 2023
  • Lagos State’s IGR grew by 112%, from ₦384.26B in 2013 to a record ₦815.86B in 2023.
  • Revenue dipped to ₦268.22B in 2015 before recovering and steadily increasing.
  • A major jump occurred in 2019, with IGR rising from ₦382.18B to ₦646.61B in one year.
  • Despite a dip in 2022, IGR hit an all-time high in 2023, signalling a strong economic recovery.
The South-South region got back just ₦0.43 for every ₦1 remitted, one of the lowest VAT returns in Nigeria
  • The South-South remitted ₦121.84B, making it one of the biggest net donors to the national VAT pool.
  • The region received only ₦52.49B, meaning it got back just 43% of its VAT contributions.
  • Rivers State alone remitted a staggering ₦90.21B (74% of the region’s total) but received only ₦11.01B (12.2% return), marking one of the worst VAT allocation disparities in Nigeria.
  • Cross River had the lowest VAT contribution (₦1.55B) but received ₦7.45B, a 380% gain, while Bayelsa, despite remitting ₦12.8B, received only ₦8.02B, less than lower-remitting states like Delta (₦9.05B).
  • Every state in the South-South received more than it remitted, except for Bayelsa and Rivers, with the latter being the only state to suffer a massive VAT deficit.
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