Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Nigeria Association of Auctioneers, Jigawa State chapter, has sought a strategic alliance with the Jigawa State Government to block revenue leakages and boost revenue through accountable disposal of state assets, in a move that underscores the growing recognition that asset disposal is a critical—and often overlooked—component of public financial management.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Jigawa State Head of Service, Muhammad Dagaceri, on Friday in Dutse, the Chairman of the Association of Auctioneers, Jigawa State chapter, Abubakar Abdullahi, said the association was seeking a robust alliance with the state government to block leakages and enhance revenue generation in the state. He said the collaboration would help ensure competitive pricing of auctioned assets and guarantee that all proceeds were remitted directly into government coffers. “This will also help to ensure competitive pricing of auctioned assets, and guarantee that all proceeds are remitted directly into government coffers,” he said. The chairman said the alliance was critical to ensuring that all government assets marked for auction were disposed of efficiently and at competitive value to the benefit of the state. “Our collaboration will ensure that state assets are auctioned efficiently, securing optimal deals, and ensuring all proceeds are remitted directly to state coffers,” he added.
Highlighting the association’s commitment to the economic growth of the state, Abdullahi noted that members of the association had over the years played critical roles in fostering a strong and sustainable economy in Jigawa. He appealed to the state government to formally recognise and integrate auctioneers as key partners in the asset disposal chain, stressing that their professional and transparent methods had consistently delivered positive results. He said unity had now returned to the association, adding that, “This can be achieved when the association is united, and I want to assure you that the association is now one in Jigawa State.” “We are appealing for the government to accept auctioneers as partners in ensuring that all State assets auctioned get a better deal and the monies realised from the sales get to the coffers of the state government,” he said.
The chairman also declared the political stance of the association, stating that, “The Jigawa State Association of Auctioneers is assuring Governor Umar Namadi that our members have remained vigilant and are working closely with well-meaning citizens of Jigawa State at the grassroots to ensure that Governor Umar Namadi is re-elected as Governor of Jigawa State for a second term.” The declaration of political support, coming at a courtesy visit ostensibly focused on a technical partnership, reflects the intertwining of professional advocacy and electoral politics that has become a feature of Nigeria’s pre-election landscape. Governor Namadi is expected to seek a second term in the 2027 governorship election, scheduled for February 6, 2027.
Responding, the Jigawa State Head of Service, Muhammad Dagaceri, commended the auctioneers for their foresight and assured them of the government’s readiness to work with them. Dagaceri assured the association of the present administration’s full support and cooperation under the leadership of Governor Umar Namadi. He expressed delight over the renewed unity within the association, noting that, “The unity of members of the association is very critical in ensuring that transparency and accountability is in place while discharging their responsibilities.” The Head of Service emphasised that a united front among auctioneers would not only block leakages but would also bolster public confidence and enhance the integrity of the entire auction process in the state. He added that the Namadi administration was committed to plugging all revenue leakages and would partner with all professional bodies willing to promote transparency, accountability and increased revenue for the development of Jigawa State. He then urged the association to maintain its unity and uphold the ethics of the profession as the government moved to strengthen its revenue drive.
The auctioneers’ intervention comes amid a broader and long-running concern about revenue leakages in Jigawa State, an issue that has occupied the state House of Assembly, the Jigawa State Internal Revenue Service and the state government for years. In November 2023, the Jigawa State House of Assembly expressed dismay over internal revenue leakages and shortchanging, assuring the State Internal Revenue Service of support to use its autonomous powers to reverse the trend. The Chairman of the JIRS at the time, Malam Nasir Sabo Idris, decried massive leaking and shortchange of local revenue, and the Assembly’s intervention underscored the extent to which the state had struggled to convert its economic activity into actual revenue.
The state has since taken steps to address the problem through digitalisation. In July 2026, the Jigawa State Government commenced the digitisation of revenue collection across livestock and grain markets, haulage operations and other informal sector activities in a major move to block leakages. The platform, developed in partnership with eTranzact, delivers real-time transaction monitoring, eliminates revenue leakages and provides accurate data to support informed decision-making. The initiative was designed to strengthen revenue administration by improving compliance and equipping revenue personnel with modern technology tools. The digitisation of the informal sector represented a significant shift for a state where a substantial portion of economic activity occurs outside formal structures and where manual collection systems had long been associated with leakages.
Asset disposal, however, occupies a different and often more opaque space in public financial management. Government assets marked for auction—vehicles, equipment, boarded items, obsolete stores and other properties—represent a significant source of potential revenue that is frequently lost through non-competitive processes, under-pricing and weak remittance mechanisms. The Jigawa State financial reports show that boarded items valued at millions of naira have been auctioned through the Office of the State Head of Service over the years, but the absence of a formally recognised and regulated auctioneer network has historically created room for irregularities. As far back as 2009, allegations of fraud trailed the auctioning of government vehicles in Jigawa State, with the state Chairman of the Auctioneers at the time, Alhaji Nuhu Ismail, among those raising concerns. The current association’s appeal for formal recognition is therefore not merely a request for business; it is an argument that the state’s asset disposal system requires the discipline and transparency that a professionalised auctioneer network can provide.
For the Namadi administration, the partnership offers a practical pathway to strengthening revenue generation without imposing new taxes or increasing the burden on citizens. The Head of Service’s commitment to plugging all revenue leakages and partnering with professional bodies aligns with the administration’s stated emphasis on transparency, accountability and improved fiscal performance. The state has previously earned recognition for procurement reform and budget transparency, and extending that reputation to asset disposal would close a gap that has persisted for years. For the auctioneers, formal recognition would provide a stable framework for their operations, reduce the internal disputes that have historically fragmented the association, and give them a stake in the state’s revenue architecture. Whether the partnership translates into tangible improvements in asset disposal and revenue remittance will depend on the details of the framework that emerges, but the conversation has been placed on the record. As Abdullahi put it, the association is now one, and it is ready to work with the government to ensure that state assets get a better deal and the monies realised reach the coffers of the Jigawa State Government.
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