A World Bank scholar and Columbia University-trained economist, Abubakar Inuwa Tata has received an award for economic reforms from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), State2State project in Nigeria.
Tata, who was honoured for bringing currency to the operation of the Gombe State Fiscal Responsibility Commission, while reforming the state’s Internal Revenue Service(IRS), brought the activities of the Commission to the limelight with the publication of its flagship report, “Understanding Gombe State Budget and Financial Statement of the Commission”, for the first time in its seven years of existence.
The flagship report analysed the sectoral breakdown of revenue, expenditure, and financing, including internal and external risks to the implementation of the budget, risk mitigation measures, and disclosure.
The report recommended an aggressive but sustainable revenue drive covering all areas of tax and non-tax revenues. On the expenditure side, the report recommends stringent fiscal measures such as strict adherence to financial regulation, fiscal responsibility, and due process in the conduct of government business, as well as the establishment of a cash management committee and efficiency unit.
It also recommends speedy passage of the procurement bill, the new tax law, the revision of financial regulations, and the subsequent enactment of the financial regulations into law, among many others.
The reform-minded Gombe State indigene who worked at the Central Bank of Nigeria, until recently, also doubled as the Executive Chairman, Gombe State Internal Revenue Service (2020–2022), where he midwifed far-reaching reforms at the sub-national level and was tagged as a Champion by the project due to his enormous contribution to the state.
Having served until recently as a senior staff member of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Abuja, has been posted to Gombe on secondment at the request of the Governor.
His secondment was facilitated due to the Governor’s keen interest in generating more taxes and revenue in order to boost the state’s finances.
This effort and the appointment of the new administrator provide an entry point for State2State to build the capacity of tax and revenue administrators in the state.
Tata successfully initiated and completed tax and revenue reforms in Gombe State by conducting a wholesale review of the Gombe State Revenue Law, strengthening governance structure in the Service, prohibiting cash collection in revenue administration, digitalising the revenue collection process, and strengthening the internal control process, which significantly reduces leakages and improves collections from N6.8 billion in 2019 to N8.6 billion in 2020, N10.5 billion in 2021, and N13.24 billion in 2022, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a feat that has not been achieved in the history of Gombe to date.
The reform undertaken by the Gombe Fiscal Responsibility Commission boss has earned the State Government a non-debt grant of USD6.5 million.
Before completing his reforms in October 2022, which touch on all aspects of tax administration from registration, assessment, returns, collection, compliance monitoring, compliance enforcement, sanction, taxpayer education, and awareness, Tata has also put in place a Tax Recovery Tribunal meant to protect taxpayers and extract value for the Gombe State Government from tax evaders.
He also generated Gombe State Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) for 85,583 property owners and put in place the Gombe State IGR Expansion Strategy (2023-2027), a medium-term document with technical support from the State2State project, which is currently being implemented by the Service.
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