How Nigeria’s Six Geo-Political Zones Shared VAT in October 2025

Nigeria’s Value Added Tax (VAT) distribution for October 2025 once again highlights the imbalance between what each geo-political zone contributes and what they receive from the national pool. Here’s a simple breakdown of how the six zones performed.

Region in Nigeria

South-WestThe South-West led the VAT pool with ₦333.01bn in contributions but received ₦91.88bn, which is just 27.59% of what it paid in. This continues the region’s status as Nigeria’s biggest VAT contributor.

South-SouthThe South-South contributed ₦80.48bn and got ₦53.79bn back, returning 66.84% of its contribution. Its strong economic activity, especially from oil and services, remains visible.

North-WestDespite contributing ₦41.82bn, the North-West received ₦64.07bn, amounting to 153.20%. This shows heavy dependence on federal redistribution.

North-CentralThe North-Central paid in ₦20.51bn and received ₦44.32bn—a return of 216.09%. The zone remains one of the major beneficiaries of VAT allocation.

North-EastWith ₦18.94bn contributed and ₦44.17bn received (233.21%), the North-East remains highly supported due to security and development needs.

South-EastThe South-East contributed the least at ₦13.26bn, yet received ₦36.91bn, which is 278.36% of what it put into the pool.

The October 2025 VAT allocation once again shows the sharp contrast between contribution strength in the South and higher allocation ratios in the North and South-East. The numbers keep fueling discussions about fiscal federalism, equity, and regional economic performance.