The Enugu State Government has announced a record ₦406.77 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the 2025 fiscal year.
The figure, disclosed during a press briefing by the Executive Chairman of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS), Mr. Emmanuel Ekene Nnamani, on Sunday in Enugu city, marks a significant jump from the ₦180.5 billion recorded in 2024. Nnamani said the state collected ₦406,774,321,758.87 out of a projected ₦509.95 billion for 2025, representing about 80 per cent budget performance and a 125 per cent growth compared with the preceding year’s figure.
Nnamani outlined that the bulk of the 2025 IGR stemmed from non-tax revenue sources, ₦355.2 billion or 87.4 per cent, while tax revenue accounted for ₦51.5 billion (12.6 per cent) of the total. He said the growth was achieved through strategic reforms introduced after Governor Peter Mbah assumed office, including the optimisation of previously dormant state assets, the deployment of technology to plug revenue leakages, and a broadened fiscal base.
He said the state moved from an IGR of just ₦26.8 billion in 2022 to ₦37.4 billion in 2023, and then ₦180.5 billion in 2024, before hitting the current record. “We have focused on plugging leakages and deploying technology to ensure traceability, accountability and transparency,” Nnamani said, highlighting infrastructure investments and service expansions that he argued have boosted compliance and economic activity.
Looking ahead, he revealed that Enugu State has set an ambitious ₦870 billion IGR target for 2026, a goal he said the government is optimistic of surpassing amid continuing reforms.
However, the celebration of the revenue milestone has been tempered by public dissent over some of the levies tied to the state’s revenue-raising strategies. Among the most contentious is the mortuary tax, which has triggered public uproar and accusations of “taxing the dead.”
Under existing legislation contained in the Births, Deaths and Burial Law (Cap. 15), mortuaries are required to pay N40 per corpse per day if a body remains unburied beyond 24 hours, with the levy accruing daily. Government officials have insisted the measure is not intended as a revenue generator but to discourage prolonged storage of corpses in mortuaries, a practice seen as unhealthy and costly.
Critics, however, say such levies, particularly when amplified by what they describe as heavy enforcement or miscommunication, contribute to a perception of multiple and onerous taxation on residents. Last year, a local broadcaster sparked controversy by inaccurately reporting that Enugu had introduced a N40,000 daily tax on dead bodies, a claim that was later retracted amid widespread condemnation and clarification from state revenue officials.
Opposition voices and civil society advocates argue that though some charges are grounded in existing laws, the cumulative effect of revenue measures is burdensome for ordinary citizens, especially when income levels remain constrained. While there is limited comprehensive reporting on the full range of grievances tied to tax policy in the state, public reactions on social media and community platforms suggest deep skepticism about the justness and communication of certain levies.
In response to the controversy, state officials have reiterated that tax and non-tax revenue mechanisms are crucial to achieving fiscal sustainability, particularly in the face of uncertain federal allocations and economic pressures. They stress that continued infrastructure development, improved service delivery, and transparent revenue administration are prerequisites for long-term growth.
Governor Mbah’s administration has repeatedly defended its approach, describing revenue expansion as part of a broader strategy to reduce dependence on federally shared revenue and enhance Enugu’s economic autonomy.
As the IGR figure of ₦406.7 billion is celebrated as a landmark achievement, the debate over how revenue is raised and the impact of certain levies continues to shape public discourse in Enugu, highlighting the tension between government revenue ambitions and citizen tolerance for taxation.
