28 total operational free zones span across 13 states plus the FCT, highlighting a broad but uneven distribution.
Lagos hosts 12 zones, over 40% of Nigeria’s total, making it the clear leader.
Ogun State ranks second with 3 zones, followed by Rivers with 2, while other states have just 1 each.
This distribution underscores a heavy clustering in the Southwest, reflecting Lagos’ dominance as a commercial hub and a drive to spread investment across various regions.
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.
Lagos led Nigerian states with ₦815.9 billion in Internally Generated Revenue for 2023, followed by the FCT with ₦211.1 billion.
Despite only a 25% growth, Lagos’ IGR confirms its economic dominance. The FCT, meanwhile, recorded an impressive 70% increase.
Ebonyi, though with lower revenue, achieved an astonishing 148% growth.
Taraba generated the least revenue, increasing by 6%.
In 2022, employees in Lagos, Rivers, and the FCT contributed ₦558.7 billion in PAYE tax, representing over half of the nation's total.
Lagos State alone accounted for ₦360.9 billion.
These figures underscore the tax contributions from Nigeria's key economic regions.
Lagos State led Nigeria’s 2022 PAYE tax collections, surpassing the total of 32 other states combined.
PAYE, a tax on employees’ income, saw Lagos contributing 36%, far ahead of Rivers State (11%) and the FCT (∼9%).
This highlights the economic disparity across states.
Data from Nigeria's National Bureau of Statisticsshows that the Federal Allocation Account Committee (FAAC) disbursed at least ₦32.8 trillion net to the 36 states and the FCT since 2011.
Five of Nigeria's oil-producing states — Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, and Lagos — have received 33.7% of the country's net federal allocation since 2011, with Delta State receiving the most. Kano, Katsina, Borno, Kaduna, and Ondo complete the top ten.
How much more debt did Nigerian states add to their existing domestic debt in 2023?
Nigerian states' domestic debt increased by 9.8% in 2023, with 20 states and the FCT contributing to this increase. Lagos State recorded the biggest jump in domestic debt with ₦241.5b added.
