Surveillance boost: Niger Liquor Board doubles three-year revenue in 12 months

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

The Niger State Liquor Licensing Board has recorded a massive financial breakthrough, generating more revenue in the last year than it did in the previous three years combined.
The Director General of the board, Barrister Yahaya Halidu (Pera), disclosed this while addressing journalists in Minna.
He attributed the financial surge to aggressive surveillance operations and a strict crackdown on corruption.
According to him, the current leadership has maintained an aggressive focus on transparency since taking office. The board’s strategy relies heavily on enhanced surveillance to ensure compliance and prevent under-the-table dealings.
“The current leadership has been working tirelessly to block leakages and stop the misappropriation of generated revenue,” he stated.
By deploying tighter monitoring mechanisms across the state, the board has successfully streamlined its collection process.
The Director General noted that the unprecedented revenue boost proves that the board’s new enforcement strategies are working effectively to secure state funds.
He further revealed that the board management had reviewed upward the inspection and license fees in 2025 which has been in place since 1999 to meet up with you current economic realities. Assured to sustain its surveillance to curb illegal liquor operators to ensure compliance and sanity in it operations across the state.
According to him, “the board is mandated to regulate, control the sells, distribution, and consumption of liquor or alcoholic beverages in the state as stipulated by the law.
“ This he said is in align with the New Niger Agenda of governor Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger state.”
The Director General insisted that section 31 sub- section 2 of the board law is clear on the board mandates, while assuring of transparent and accountable process in all its activities especially in terms of collections and remittance of funds generated as specified by the law.
He stated that the board have uncovered illegal individuals going after liquor vendors across the state to collect inspection and license fees and other unlawful charges without the authority of the board, adding that plans are underway to partner with the security agencies to ensure the arrest and prosecution of offenders.
He stressed that the present Director of Operations Mohammed Hamisu whom he described as energetic, workerholic, and a strategic person have been working assiduously to revamp the integrity of the board by embarking on constant surveillance to nip on the bud some of the identified challenges confronting the board over the years.
Je emphasized that the board remains committed to ensuring that chapter 4 of Nigerian Constitution specifically on the human rights is strictly adhered to and any law that contravenes the provision of the chapter is null and void to the extent of its existence