The South-West remitted ₦341.18B in VAT but received only ₦106.85B, getting back just ₦0.31 for every ₦1 remitted.

Key Takeaways

  • 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-West stands as Nigeria’s VAT powerhouse, generating a staggering ₦341.18 billion in VAT revenue. However, despite its massive economic contribution, the region received only ₦106.85 billion, translating to a 31% return on its VAT remittance.

The weight of this burden is disproportionately borne by Lagos, which alone remitted ₦305.52 billion, nearly 90% of the entire region’s VAT. Yet, its allocation stood at just ₦62.59 billion (20.5% of its input), making it the single largest net contributor in the country.

Meanwhile, the sharing formula worked wonders for Osun, which remitted just ₦590 million but astonishingly received ₦7.73 billion, a mind-blowing 1,211% gain. Similarly, Ondo (₦990M contribution) and Ogun (₦2.31B contribution) collectively received ₦16B, far exceeding their inputs.

This extreme fiscal sharing raises serious questions about Nigeria’s VAT allocation formula, as revenue generated by high-performing states is disproportionately funneled into lower-contributing states. The South-West, despite its economic strength, remains one of the biggest victims of VAT imbalance, funding allocations across the federation at a shocking scale.

Source:

Federal account allocation committee (FAAC)

Period:

January 2025
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Related Insights

Lagos leads VAT remittance with ₦305B, over 53% of total and more than 3x Rivers'
  • Lagos State contributed ₦305B in VAT, making up over 53% of the national total and more than three times that of any other state.
  • Rivers (₦90B) and Oyo (₦27B) followed Lagos as the second and third highest contributors, highlighting a steep drop after the top state.
  • Only a few states, including Bayelsa, Kano, Kwara, and Edo, remitted above ₦5B, showing a highly uneven distribution of VAT contributions.
  • Over 8 states, such as Kebbi, Osun, Imo, and Zamfara, contributed less than ₦2B each, indicating minimal VAT activity in many parts of the country.

Kano leads all Nigerian states with 44 LGAs; FCT, Bayelsa, and Nasarawa have the fewest with 6, 8, and 13 respectively
  • Kano State has the highest number of LGAs in Nigeria, with 44, far exceeding the national average of 21 LGAs per state.
  • Bayelsa, Nasarawa, and the FCT have the fewest LGAs, recording 8, 13, and 6 respectively, despite varying population sizes and landmass.
  • Northern states dominate the upper tier of the LGA count, with Katsina (34), Oyo (33), and Jigawa (27) all ranking among the top.
  • Southern states tend to have fewer LGAs, with Lagos and Ogun, two highly urbanised states, having just 20 LGAs each, hinting at a denser governance structure per area.

South west leads with Lagos recording 114 female candidates, while the North East trails with just 7 in Yobe
  • 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.

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.

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