Zamfara Moves from 36th to 17th in Fiscal Performance Ranking Under Gov Lawal — BudgIT

Zamfara State has recorded a significant improvement in its fiscal performance, moving from the 36th position in 2023 to the 17th position in the 2025 State of States ranking released by BudgIT, a civic organisation that tracks government transparency and fiscal sustainability. According to BudgIT’s latest report, the state achieved a 13-place rise from its […]

Zamfara State has recorded a significant improvement in its fiscal performance, moving from the 36th position in 2023 to the 17th position in the 2025 State of States ranking released by BudgIT, a civic organisation that tracks government transparency and fiscal sustainability.

According to BudgIT’s latest report, the state achieved a 13-place rise from its 2024 ranking of 26th, reflecting what the organisation described as “a positive fiscal performance index,” showing that Zamfara is among the few states with comparatively limited dependence on federally distributed revenue for their operations.

BudgIT noted that Zamfara’s recurrent revenue rose by 182.34 percent — from ₦87.44 billion in 2023 to ₦246.88 billion in 2024 — while the state’s total revenue grew by 117.68 percent, from ₦144.95 billion to ₦315.53 billion within the same period. Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) accounted for 10.31 percent of the total revenue in 2024.

The report said Zamfara’s IGR increased by 14.86 percent, from ₦22.16 billion in 2023 to ₦25.46 billion in 2024, ranking the state 25th nationwide. The Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) revenue also rose by 239.18 percent — from ₦65.28 billion in 2023 to ₦221.42 billion in 2024.

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BudgIT added that the state’s IGR per capita stood at ₦4,364 as of the end of 2024, marking a notable improvement from ₦2.74 billion in 2015 to ₦25.46 billion in 2024 under Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration.

The report highlighted growth in the state’s non-tax revenue, which had earlier declined by 71.31 percent from ₦3.73 billion in 2021 to ₦1.07 billion in 2022. However, it rebounded by 593.46 percent in 2023 to ₦7.42 billion and further rose to ₦12.91 billion in 2024.

Breaking down the non-tax revenue, BudgIT said income from licences increased by 25.30 percent between 2021 and 2022 and surged by 5,921.47 percent in 2023, followed by another 44.53 percent increase in 2024. Revenue from fees, which had dropped by 93.90 percent between 2021 and 2022, rose sharply by 3,610.57 percent in 2023 and 88.24 percent in 2024 — growing from ₦82.44 million in 2022 to ₦3.06 billion in 2023 and ₦5.76 billion in 2024.

However, fines recorded a decline of 78.15 percent during the same period.

On sectoral expenditure, the BudgIT report noted significant increases in health and education spending between 2022 and 2024. Health sector spending rose from ₦4.29 billion in 2022 to ₦5.74 billion in 2023 and ₦11.88 billion in 2024. The state’s health spending per capita also increased from ₦785 in 2022 to ₦1,017 in 2023 and ₦2,037 in 2024.

BudgIT, known for its data-driven civic advocacy, said the state’s performance reflects growing fiscal viability and improved transparency under Governor Lawal’s administration.