EDO'S NEW FISCAL DAWN: HOW GOV. OKPEBHOLO’S REFORMS POWERED RECORD-BREAKING REVENUE GROWTH IN ONE YEAR
Government House Newsletter
29th November, 2025
Edo State’s rise into the Top 5 Best Performing States in Nigeria’s 2025 Fiscal Performance Ranking is no accident. It is the direct result of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s disciplined economic blueprint—anchored on transparency, accountability, digital transformation, and a commitment to boosting internally generated revenue (IGR).
As of December 11, 2025, Edo State’s collections had already reached nearly ₦93 billion, placing the state firmly on course to hit its historic ₦100 billion revenue target before year-end—the highest year-on-year growth in the state’s history.
A Modern Fiscal Strategy Rooted in Transparency
From day one, Governor Okpebholo set an ambitious goal:
Grow Edo’s IGR to ₦100 billion in one year.
To achieve this, the administration empowered the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), chaired by Otunba (Barr.) Oladele Bankole-Balogun, to drive a far-reaching fiscal reform agenda.
A key pillar of this strategy is the upgraded unified digital tax administration platform, E-RAS, which integrates all revenue-generating MDAs into a single transparent system. This innovation ensures:
Real-time monitoring of all revenue inflows
Full traceability of every naira collected
Reduction of leakages
Simplified taxpayer compliance
The result: by the first half of the year, Edo had already collected ₦52.6 billion, representing a 46% increase over the same period in the previous year.
Quarterly Disclosures and a New Culture of Accountability
Under Governor Okpebholo, Edo State now publishes quarterly revenue performance reports—a clear departure from practices of past administrations.
These disclosures show Edo’s rise from ₦68 billion under the previous government to nearly ₦100 billion today—a transformation driven by a new culture of openness and fiscal responsibility.
Rather than treating taxation as a hardship, the Okpebholo administration emphasizes tax as a shared civic responsibility for collective development.
Building Trust Through Stakeholder Collaboration
To create a business-friendly environment, the EIRS established robust dialogue structures with:
Private school owners
Transport unions
Business associations
SMEs and corporate groups
This collaborative approach resolved long-standing disputes, improved voluntary compliance, and strengthened public trust in government institutions.
Crackdown on Illegal Tax Collectors and State Actors
One of the Governor’s most decisive actions was the complete shutdown of illegal revenue collectors, particularly in the transport sector.
To enforce this reform, the EIRS partnered with the National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to digitalize and regulate all collections, ushering in an era of:
Cashless transactions
Transparent revenue flows
Zero tolerance for extortion
Corruption-free interactions
The new digital system is set to go fully live on December 1, marking a major milestone in Edo’s fiscal transformation.
Data-Driven Revenue Expansion
A groundbreaking innovation under this administration is the creation of the Data Mining Office, in partnership with the Joint Tax Board (JTB).
This office consolidates third-party data to:
Identify eligible taxpayers
Bring previously unregistered individuals and businesses into the tax net
Improve assessments
Strengthen revenue forecasting
These reforms are further enhanced by the MoU with the NFIU, granting Edo State access to financial intelligence capable of tracking high-net-worth individuals and corporate entities evading tax.
Human Capital Development for a Modern Revenue System
For the first time in over a decade, EIRS staff are undergoing comprehensive training and retraining programmes.
This investment in human capital is boosting:
Professionalism
Operational efficiency
Service delivery
Institutional capacity
Future tax policy will align with national reforms by shifting the burden away from low-income earners and focusing more on high-income individuals and corporations with the capacity to pay.
The Road Ahead: Sustaining Revenue Beyond ₦100 Billion
As the Okpebholo administration enters its second year, citizens can expect:
Further digitalization of tax processes
Expansion of Edo’s taxpayer database
Stronger partnerships with national and international agencies
Full activation of vehicle inspection and computer-based testing centres
Revenue growth beyond the ₦100 billion milestone
Governor Okpebholo’s vision is clear:
A self-sustaining Edo State powered by transparency, innovation, and responsible fiscal management.
Conclusion: Leadership That Delivers
In just one year, Governor Monday Okpebholo has shown that with discipline, technology, and political will, revenue transformation is achievable at scale. Edo State’s new fiscal trajectory is proof that:
Leadership matters
Transparency drives progress
People-centered governance produces measurable results
As Edo moves confidently toward the ₦100 billion landmark, one thing is certain:
This is only the beginning of a new era of prosperity for the people of Edo State.
