Delta State has increased its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from about ₦84 billion in 2023 to more than ₦200 billion, a growth of over 138 per cent, as the state government steps up efforts to reduce its dependence on oil revenue.
The state government said the increase was achieved by widening the tax net, improving tax administration and boosting compliance, rather than raising personal income tax.
The figures were disclosed on Monday in Asaba when a delegation from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission visited the state to assess its economic diversification and revenue generation efforts.
Speaking during the visit, the Commissioner for Economic Planning, Mr Sunny Ekedayen, said the Oborevwori administration was repositioning the state’s economy through investments in agriculture, industrialisation, innovation and other non-oil sectors.
He explained that the improved revenue performance was driven by efficient revenue collection, stronger compliance and an expanded tax base.
Ekedayen said agriculture had become a key pillar of the state’s diversification agenda through Public-Private Partnerships, with the government providing land while private investors supplied funding and technology for the large-scale cultivation of crops such as cassava and oil palm.
The Commissioner for Finance, Chief Fidelis Tilije, said the government was also promoting industrial growth through major infrastructure projects.
He disclosed that the Kwale Industrial Park would soon be fully powered to attract more investors, adding that the state was also working with the Federal Government to revive operations at the Warri and Forcados ports.
The leader of the RMAFC delegation, Mr Victor Eboigbe, described reliance on oil revenue as unsustainable and commended Delta State for pursuing policies aimed at diversifying its economy.
He said the assessment was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and praised Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for implementing measures to build a stronger and more sustainable economy.
Also speaking, the Federal Commissioner representing Delta State in RMAFC, Hon. Aruviere Martins Egwarhevwa, said the visit formed part of the commission’s constitutional responsibility to evaluate states’ economic diversification efforts and strengthen fiscal development.
The delegation expressed satisfaction with the state’s progress and encouraged the government to sustain its economic diversification drive.
