*Kano State Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Alhaji Hamza Safiyanu Kachako.
The Kano State Ministry of Mineral Resources and the Kano State Internal Revenue Service (KIRS) have agreed to strengthen collaboration and plug revenue leakages in the state’s mineral resources sector.
*R-L: Alhaji Hamza Safiyanu Kachako and KIRS Executive Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Yusuf Maitama.
The agreement was reached when the management of KIRS, led by its Executive Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Yusuf Maitama, paid a working visit to the Ministry of Mineral Resources.
Receiving the delegation at the ministry’s conference room, the Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Alhaji Hamza Safiyanu Kachako, described the meeting as long overdue, stressing the need for closer collaboration between the two institutions to improve revenue generation from the sector.
In a statement issued on Monday, October 6, 2026, by the ministry’s Director of Public Enlightenment, Malam Adamu Ibrahim Dabo, the commissioner said the ministry had been working to develop policies and regulatory measures aimed at repositioning the mining sector, with the support and political will of the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
He cited the executive order on mining activities in the state as part of the measures introduced by the administration to regulate the sector.
Kachako said effective revenue collection could only be achieved through synergy, mutual understanding and respect for the statutory responsibilities of both institutions.
He assured KIRS of the ministry’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the collection of revenue from mineral resources activities.
“We will ensure that revenue generated from this sector goes directly into the KIRS Central Billing System. We do not want to see a penny before us,” the commissioner said.
He added that his professional background in financial administration, including 18 years in the banking sector before joining public service, had reinforced his commitment to ensuring proper financial processes.
Kachako called for the development of a clear operational framework for revenue collection, describing the mineral resources sector as an important source of internally generated revenue for the state.
Earlier, the KIRS Executive Chairman, Maitama, disclosed that the state was losing substantial revenue through the activities of officially assigned revenue vendors, particularly those involved in sand dredging operations.
He alleged that findings by the Service indicated that up to 80 per cent of targeted revenue was being diverted by some vendors.
“This must not continue. We must work together to block leakages and ensure that revenue due to the government gets directly into the KIRS Central Billing System,” Maitama said.
He expressed optimism that the meeting would enable both institutions to clarify their respective mandates and establish a stronger working relationship for improved revenue generation.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Tijjani Muhammad Sharif, proposed the establishment of a joint committee comprising representatives of the ministry and KIRS.
He said the committee would work towards developing a harmonised operational framework and identifying practical measures to improve revenue collection and accountability across the sector.
At the end of the meeting, both institutions agreed to immediately constitute the joint committee to develop modalities for closer collaboration, strengthen accountability and improve revenue collection from mining and other mineral resources activities in Kano State.
