Lawal Says Leakages, Informal Payments Will No Longer Be Tolerated….
Governor Dauda Lawal has directed all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in Zamfara State to immediately halt cash-based revenue collection, signaling a decisive shift toward a fully digital system.
The order, announced during a town hall sensitisation on the Nigeria Tax Acts 2025 in Gusau, forms part of broader reforms aimed at tightening revenue administration and blocking leakages.
According to a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, the new directive is designed to strengthen digital platforms, harmonise revenue databases across MDAs, enable real-time monitoring, and improve inter-agency verification processes.
Aligning with National Tax Reforms
Lawal said the Nigeria Tax Acts 2025 have restructured tax administration nationwide by clearly defining responsibilities, standardising procedures and encouraging coordination across federal, state and local governments.
He noted that Zamfara has already taken legislative steps by signing the repeal and re-enactment of the state’s Consolidated Revenue Law, a move that strengthens the Zamfara State Internal Revenue Service (ZSIRS).
The updated law empowers the agency to assess, collect and account for state revenues, while also harmonising tax and non-tax revenue streams under a clearer legal framework.
“These reforms present both opportunity and responsibility,” the governor said. “We must build a modern and efficient revenue system that supports economic growth, protects taxpayers and boosts investor confidence.”
‘Revenue Is Everyone’s Responsibility’
Lawal stressed that revenue mobilisation is not the exclusive duty of a single agency but a collective responsibility across government institutions.
Every MDA that collects fees, licences, permits or service-related income has been instructed to ensure transparency, accuracy and prompt remittance through approved channels.
He warned that leakages, duplication of charges and informal cash collections would no longer be tolerated, describing them as practices that erode public trust and weaken fiscal capacity.
Closing Loopholes, Raising Targets
The governor said his administration is determined to eliminate revenue loopholes and ensure that public funds are properly accounted for and directed toward development priorities.
Revenue-generating MDAs have been directed to review their enabling laws, collection mechanisms and procedures to align with the new legal framework, remove overlaps and clarify ambiguities.
While acknowledging progress in Zamfara’s 2025 internally generated revenue (IGR) performance, Lawal said the state must intensify efforts to meet its ambitious target of between N38 billion and N42 billion.
The move mirrors similar reforms at the federal level. In November 2025, the Federal Government barred MDAs from collecting physical cash for revenue transactions, a policy aimed at curbing diversion and strengthening accountability.
With the latest directive, Zamfara joins the growing list of governments betting on digital systems to improve transparency, expand revenue and rebuild public confidence in fiscal management.
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