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Lastest News Nigeria, Politics, Business, Sport, Interview
Lastest News Nigeria, Politics, Business, Sport, Interview
|By Babatunji Wusu-
-Benue Government Targets N3 Billion Monthly Revenue to Fund Salaries, Pensions
–Finance Commissioner Says No New Taxes, Focus on Blocking Leakages and Enforcing Compliance
The Benue State Government has announced an ambitious plan to raise its internally generated revenue (IGR) to ₦3 billion per month by 2025, aiming to finance the new minimum wage and clear outstanding pension arrears.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi, the state’s Commissioner for Finance, Michael Oglegba, disclosed that under Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration, Benue’s IGR has already soared from ₦600–700 million to approximately ₦2 billion monthly within just one year.
“We have a very ambitious plan to raise revenue to over ₦3 billion each month,” Oglegba said. “Achieving this will allow us to pay salaries and pensions comfortably from our IGR, but it will require significant effort on our part.”
Oglegba stressed that the main goal for 2025 is to use IGR alone to fund the new minimum wage, ensuring that civil servants and pensioners receive their entitlements promptly and consistently.
The commissioner attributed the impressive revenue surge to strategic reforms that plugged leakages rather than introducing new taxes. He noted that these reforms have enabled the state to meet its salary obligations without imposing additional burdens on residents.
While new taxes remain off the table, Oglegba warned that the government would intensify efforts to collect taxes from defaulters using all available legal channels.
“We are not looking to introduce new taxes. Instead, we are focused on improving compliance among existing taxpayers and ensuring no revenue escapes the government’s net,” he said.
According to Oglegba, achieving the ₦3 billion monthly target would not only guarantee seamless salary and pension payments, but also free up funds to address other critical needs across the state.
