•Governor Yahaya named champion of subnational investment reform

Segun Awofadeji in Gombe

Gombe State has once again affirmed its status as one of Nigeria’s most reform-driven subnational governments by emerging fourth nationwide in the latest national assessment of digital maturity in tax administration.

The ranking was unveiled during a high-level Validation Workshop on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Intelligence Revenue Authority (IRA) Index Tools, organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in Abuja yesterday.

According to the report, Gombe State earned an impressive score of 80.6 percent, receiving outstanding ratings across all parameters used to evaluate the digital capabilities of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in managing tax administration.

Other states joining Gombe in the top five are Bayelsa, Borno, Kano, and Delta, each surpassing 80 percent in the overall assessment.

The evaluation focused on key performance indicators to include: digital onboarding of taxpayers, integration with national identity and payment systems, automation of compliance monitoring, data security, advanced analytics, and the digital proficiency of personnel.

Representing the state at the workshop was the Executive Chairman of the Gombe State Internal Revenue Service (GIRS), Aisha Adamu, whose tenure has seen a transformative shift in the State’s revenue administration, built on a foundation of digitisation, transparency, and operational efficiency.

Since assuming office, the Executive Chairman has overseen the full automation of tax processes, introduced user-friendly platforms for taxpayers, blocked revenue leakages, and improved service delivery, resulting in enhanced voluntary compliance and a consistent rise in internally generated revenue.

Speaking at the workshop, Adamu credited the remarkable achievement to the leadership of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, whose steadfast investments in digital infrastructure, institutional reforms, and human capital development have laid the groundwork for fiscal transformation and innovation in the State.

“This milestone reflects His Excellency’s commitment to innovation and excellence in governance. We are proud of this recognition and even more committed to surpassing it on our journey to a smart economy.

“Our appreciation also goes to the people and taxpayers of Gombe State, whose cooperation and compliance are the true drivers of this success,” she added.

The GIRS boss also commended her team for their dedication and professionalism, emphasising that the recognition was not just a reward for past efforts, but a call to sustain the momentum towards building a more transparent and digitally resilient tax administration.

Gombe’s top-tier performance is a strong testament to its growing leadership in technology-driven governance and its readiness to set the pace in modern public sector administration.

Meanwhile, Governor Yahaya has been honoured with the award of “Champion of Subnational Investment Reform” by the Forum of State Investment Promotion Agencies of Nigeria (FoSIPAN).

The award was bestowed on him at the opening of the Investment Promotion Capacity Development Workshop, held in Abuja.

The two-day capacity-building event, hosted by FoSIPAN in collaboration with Afreximbank, the Centre for International Trade Development (CITD-Miami) and others, brought together senior investment officers from all 36 states and the FCT.

The programme focused on improving project bankability, investor facilitation, aftercare and institutional alignment with global investment trends.

Yahaya, who is also the Chairman of the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), was specially recognised for his visionary leadership and commitment to deepening subnational competitiveness, institutionalising ease of doing business frameworks, and championing the establishment of functional Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) across Nigerian states.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary and CEO of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Ms. Aisha Rimi, commended Yahaya’s leadership and reaffirmed the commitment of her Commission to strengthening subnational investment ecosystems.

She further added that NIPC remains focused on developing institutional linkages, data systems and investor intelligence tools to support state IPAs, noting that “true national competitiveness is built from the subnational level up.”

Earlier in his welcome address, FoSIPAN Chairman and Executive Secretary of the Benue Investment Promotion Agency (BENIPA), Terhemen Johnpaul Kpenkaan, described Inuwa Yahaya as a “trailblazer whose leadership has opened sustainable economic pathways across Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT.”

In his keynote address, Governor Yahaya, emphasised the strategic importance of building local capacity for investment promotion.

“To lift our people out of poverty and accelerate growth, we must position our states to attract and retain both local and foreign investment,” he said.

Governor Yahaya, who was represented by Gombe State Commissioner of Finance and Economic Development, Muhammad Gambo Magaji, used the occasion to highlight Nigeria’s upcoming participation in the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) in Algiers, encouraging states to leverage the opportunity to showcase their investment opportunities to a global audience.

The Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Investment Promotion Agency (GOSIPA), Farouk Daudu, who was among the participants, used the platform to share Gombe State’s widely recognised success story in subnational investment reform.

In an engaging session with peers from across the federation, Daudu pointed out the deliberate strategies and policies that have positioned Gombe as number one state in Ease of Doing Business rankings for two consecutive years.

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