Business
Nigeria Generates N204.77bn From VAT
The National Bureau of
Statistics (NBS) said that Nigeria generated the sum of N204.77 billion as Value Added Tax (VAT) in the first quarter of 2017.
VAT is a consumption tax that is placed on a product whenever value is added at a stage of production and at final sale.
The NBS stated this in a Sectoral Distribution of VAT Data for first quarter of 2017, published by the bureau on Tuesday in Abuja.
The report showed that the N204.77 billion generated in the quarter was lower than N207.35 billion generated in the fourth quarter of 2016.
According to the report, the decline in the amount generated represented 1.25 per cent decrease quarter-on-quarter.
Comparing the amount to the first quarter of 2016, the report stated that VAT generated was N186.43 billion in first quarter of 2016, representing 9. 84 per cent increase year-on year.
The bureau stated that other manufacturing sector generated the highest amount of VAT with N28.73 billion generated.
It stated that it closely followed by Professional Services and Commercial and Trading, both generating N20.82billion and N12.89billion respectively.
The bureau stated that mining generated the least, and was closely followed by local government Councils and textile and Garment industry with N35.07 million, N99.84 million and N230.89 million respectively.
It further stated that out of the total amounted generated in the first quarter of 2017, N126.64 billion was generated as non-import VAT locally.
In addition, it stated that N31.72 billion was generated as non-import VAT for foreign, while the balance of N46.41 billion was generated as Nigeria Customs Service-Import VAT in the quarter under review.
The bureau, however, acknowledged the contributions of its strategic partner, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and technical partner, Proshare in the design, concept and production of the publication.
Business
Agency Gives Insight Into Its Inspection, Monitoring Operations
Business
BVN Enrolments Rise 6% To 67.8m In 2025 — NIBSS
The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has said that Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolments rose by 6.8 per cent year-on-year to 67.8 million as at December 2025, up from 63.5 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.
In a statement published on its website, NIBSS attributed the growth to stronger policy enforcement by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the expansion of diaspora enrolment initiatives.
NIBSS noted that the expansion reinforces the BVN system’s central role in Nigeria’s financial inclusion drive and digital identity framework.
Another major driver, the statement said, was the rollout of the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number (NRBVN) initiative, which allows Nigerians in the diaspora to obtain a BVN remotely without physical presence in the country.
A five-year analysis by NIBSS showed consistent growth in BVN enrolments, rising from 51.9 million in 2021 to 56.0 million in 2022, 60.1 million in 2023, 63.5 million in 2024 and 67.8 million by December 2025. The steady increase reflects stronger compliance with biometric identity requirements and improved coverage of the national banking identity system.
However, NIBSS noted that BVN enrolments still lag the total number of active bank accounts, which exceeded 320 million as of March 2025.
The gap, it explained, is largely due to multiple bank accounts linked to single BVNs, as well as customers yet to complete enrolment, despite the progress recorded.
