The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has rated Taraba State as the worst-performing state in Nigeria in terms of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the first quarter of 2025.

In data released on Tuesday, FAAC ranked Lagos, Rivers, Oyo, Bayelsa, and Kano among the top five states, respectively, while Taraba took an inglorious place at the bottom of the ladder, followed by Imo, Cross River, Abia, and Zamfara states among the worst performers, respectively.

Based on the statistics, Taraba State generated an abysmal ?2.33 billion in the first quarter of 2025, a significant drop from over ?10 billion in the preceding quarter.

The Chairman of the Taraba State Internal Revenue Service (TSIRS), Brig. Gen. Jeremiah Faransa (rtd), could not be reached for comments on the reasons for the drastic drop, as he did not answer or return calls to his certified line.

Similarly, the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS) has rated Taraba State as the worst in terms of the Governance Performance Index, scoring barely 20% compared to 73% for Kaduna State, which topped the chart.

Our correspondent recalls that the Taraba State government recently held an international investment summit to attract foreign investors to the state.

Reacting to the reports, the former State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Hassan Jika Ardo, said that he has been vindicated for alleging gross misgovernance in Taraba State.

Ardo said, ?It is saddening that our dear Taraba State is rated least in everything. Only recently, billions of naira was wasted on a jamboree investment summit. I remember raising the alarm time and again that there is no governance in Taraba. These reports have just vindicated my position. We hope that this will serve as a wake-up call for the governor to sit up and start working instead of running around the world in the name of attracting investors.? (Daily Sun)