Lagos had the highest female representation in Nigeria’s 2023 elections, with 114 female candidates, more than any other state.
Yobe recorded the lowest, with just 7 female candidates, highlighting a wide disparity in representation across regions.
The South East and South South zones recorded some of the strongest numbers overall, with Imo (86) and Rivers (85) nearly matching Lagos.
The South West led overall in female candidate numbers, while the North East trailed, with its highest (Gombe – 42) still lower than other zones’ peaks.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
The mobility score improved dramatically from 42 in 2015 to 56 in 2023, highlighting a significant enhancement in travel freedom for Nigerian passport holders.
A sharp decline occurred in 2020, dropping to 44, likely reflecting global travel disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Post-pandemic recovery is evident in the score rebounding to 48 in 2021 and surging to 54 by 2022, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
The overall trend shows a steady upward trajectory from 2017 onward, suggesting successful diplomatic and policy initiatives aimed at expanding visa-free travel.
