APC chieftain questions Enugu’s ₦406.77bn IGR claim

….Flags Pension and Infrastructure Woes

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu, Nnewi

Enugu State Government’s claim of generating ₦406.77 billion as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2025 has come under sharp criticism from All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in the state, Chief Basil Ani.

In a statement titled, “₦406.77 Billion: Fiction, or a Scandal Waiting to Be Proven,” Ani described the figure as “impressive” on the surface but questioned its credibility, saying it “collapses under scrutiny.”

The APC stalwart argued that if the state were indeed earning such an amount annually, pension arrears owed to retired civil servants would have long been cleared. “Pension payments are a first-line obligation of government, not a luxury. A state that truly earns over ₦400 billion in a single year does not leave its retirees in permanent arrears,” he said.

Ani also highlighted delays in contractor payments and incomplete public projects, including the Nike–Opi road dualization, noting that governments with “real cash flow” do not routinely default on obligations while claiming record revenues.

He further criticised the high cost of living in Enugu, describing the state as one of Nigeria’s most expensive to live in, with residents “squeezed through aggressive levies, fees, and enforcement actions that treat struggling citizens as revenue tools rather than beneficiaries of development.”

The APC leader questioned the composition of the claimed IGR, pointing out that a large portion reportedly came from “non-tax sources,” an opaque category for which no independent audit or public breakdown has been provided.

Ani concluded that if the figure is accurate, the revenue has either been mismanaged at an “embarrassing scale,” or it is inflated for publicity. “Until pension arrears are cleared, contractors paid, roads completed, living costs reduced, and revenue collection eased on the poorest citizens, the figure will remain exactly what many already suspect it is—a claim without proof, a boast without impact,” he said.

The APC chieftain called on the Enugu State Government to provide clarity on the deployment of its IGR over the last two years and to ensure that public funds translate into tangible development for residents.

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