BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

Katsina State has recorded a sharp increase in its monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), rising to approximately N3.6 billion from between N600 million and N800 million in 2023, the state’s Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Bello Hussaini Kagara, has disclosed.

Kagara announced the figures on Friday during a briefing for supervisors and field officers participating in the state’s first Financial Management Monitoring and Evaluation (FMM) exercise in Katsina.

He attributed the growth to the government’s efforts to improve revenue collection, strengthen financial management and ensure that public resources are managed more effectively.

The commissioner explained that the monitoring exercise was designed to examine how government funds are raised, allocated, spent and accounted for across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

According to him, the exercise will help the government assess progress, identify weaknesses in existing financial procedures and address challenges affecting the delivery of essential public services.

He said the findings would provide a basis for improving fiscal discipline, strengthening compliance with financial regulations and ensuring that public expenditure produces measurable results for residents.

Kagara also acknowledged Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s investments in infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture and other critical sectors, citing road construction and rehabilitation projects in Funtua, Batsari, Malumfashi, Babura and Mashi.

He added that the administration had pursued housing development and the construction of facilities in primary and tertiary educational institutions, alongside agricultural interventions intended to support farmers and increase food production.

On security, the commissioner acknowledged that challenges remained but said improvements in some communities had helped revive economic activities, allowing markets to reopen and farmers to return to their farmlands.

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He stressed that sustaining such progress would require effective management of public resources to ensure that government spending addresses pressing needs and supports economic recovery.

Kagara said the FMM exercise would help determine whether funds allocated to different sectors were achieving their intended objectives and reveal obstacles preventing projects and public services from delivering expected benefits.

He urged the participating field officers to familiarise themselves with the questionnaires and assist officials across the MDAs in understanding the information required.

The commissioner cautioned against completing the questionnaires on behalf of respondents, insisting that field officers should explain the questions and allow the relevant officials to provide accurate information.

He maintained that the reliability of the data collected would be crucial to the success of the exercise, particularly in identifying ways to improve revenue generation, expenditure control, payment processes and overall service delivery.

The rise in Katsina’s reported monthly IGR from less than N1 billion in 2023 to about N3.6 billion represents a significant change in the state’s revenue figures. However, the monitoring exercise is expected to provide further insight into how effectively public funds are being managed and whether the increased revenue is translating into improved services and tangible benefits for residents.

Kagara expressed optimism that the exercise would strengthen the state’s financial management framework and help ensure that government resources are used more efficiently to meet the needs of the people.