Igbeaku Orji 
Encouraged by the 2024 Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) performance in which it overshot its target by N7 billion, the Abia State government has increased the revenue projection of 2025 by 207% from that of 2024.
Speaking on the State’s IGR performance, the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, expressed satisfaction that the State government surpassed its IGR target of N32 billion in 2024 by generating N39 billion, noting that in 2025 the state would be even better.
He said the feat was achieved in spite of the tax/revenue holiday granted by Governor Alex Otti in the first seven months of the administration but through transparency and accountability.
Other measures adopted by the government, according to the Commissioner, was to plug revenue leakages that had drained and diverted the State’s resources and was confident the State could do N10 billion monthly.
“It has to be put on record that in the past year, the State surpassed its set target in that regard. In the 2025 budget the state government has planned to scale up its IGR base by targeting about N120 billion which amounts to about a 207 per cent increase over the IGR target of the previous year.
Kanu said the government would explore revenue windows hitherto not tapped including revenue from the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA, among others.
“Consequently, the state government is embarking on a number of reforms initiated to achieve this and to ensure that Abia State citizens are better served through more developmental programmes and initiatives.”
Kanu said the just concluded free Belgium medical mission has in addition to the 114 successful major surgeries and 915 other patients with various medical cases, helped the government to acquire a new set of sophisticated medical equipment for the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) where the medical mission took place.
He declared that going forward the Ministry of Health would issue a new set of standards for medical outreaches in the state.
The Commissioner said in line with the Abia State Disabilities Day celebrated recently, the state government has adopted a deliberate policy of providing ramps in all public buildings and special parking lots for persons with disabilities.
