In February 2026, Nigeria’s VAT story maintained its upward momentum as higher revenues flowed to states nationwide.
Gross VAT disbursement climbed 30.36% month-on-month to ₦551.77 billion, up from ₦423.25 billion in January.
VAT Disbursement Extends Growth Momentum
Newsmen, using data from the Office of the Accountant General, also reported that net disbursement rose 31.41% to ₦541.89 billion.
As a result, the figures point to a second straight month of strong growth.
January’s rebound now clearly forms part of a broader upward trend in VAT collections and economic activity.
Across the federation, all states received higher allocations in February.
However, only Lagos State recorded a deduction during the period.
Lagos Maintains Dominance In VAT Rankings
Lagos continued to dominate the rankings.
Its gross VAT surged to ₦111.22 billion from ₦61.00 billion, marking an 82.32% increase.
After a ₦9.89 billion deduction, Lagos retained a net allocation of ₦101.34 billion.
Meanwhile, Oyo State strengthened its position in second place with ₦24.04 billion, rising 52.10% from January.
Rivers State followed with ₦23.57 billion, growing 39.50%, while Kano State increased modestly to ₦17.37 billion, up 6.43%.
In addition, the Federal Capital Territory climbed into the top five with ₦15.76 billion.
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At the same time, Bayelsa recorded a strong jump to ₦15.07 billion, up 60.84%.
Broad-Based Growth Across States
Furthermore, mid-tier states such as Katsina, Jigawa, Delta and Kaduna recorded steady gains, with allocations ranging between ₦12.73 billion and ₦13.82 billion.
However, growth in this group slowed compared to January, as earlier gains raised the baseline.
Similarly, lower-tier states also recorded improvements.
Taraba rose to ₦9.37 billion, Ebonyi reached ₦9.45 billion, while Yobe increased to ₦9.76 billion.
Nasarawa climbed to ₦9.77 billion, and Ekiti advanced to ₦9.83 billion.
Finally, other states including Cross River, Abia, Gombe, Kogi and Plateau also improved, with allocations between ₦9.97 billion and ₦10.47 billion.
Overall, VAT disbursement continues to expand broadly, as revenue growth spreads beyond major economic centres.
