Yobe Civil Society Organizations Call for enhanced fiscal discipline and IGR performance

The Network of Yobe Civil Society Organizations (NYCSO) has voiced its concern regarding the consistent low performance of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by the Yobe State Government. The Executive Director of NYCSO, Baba Shehu, expressed these concerns in a statement released in Damaturu.

While acknowledging the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability in Public Finance Management (PFM), the group raised alarms about Yobe State’s recent fiscal performance report, ranking it as the 32nd state in the country in 2023. The statement attributed this ranking to the state’s low IGR, coupled with a significant increase in domestic debt.

Despite a slight improvement in IGR compared to 2022, the non-operationalization of the Yobe State Internal Revenue Law, assented to by the Governor since 2021, was identified as a critical setback to effective revenue generation, according to NYCSO.

The group urged the State Government to take various measures to address these issues. One of the key recommendations was to grant the State Internal Revenue Service an Executive Order for the effective implementation of the revenue law. This, they believe, will enhance revenue collection and remittance in alignment with the provisions of the State Revenue Law 2021 (as amended).