Zacch Adedeji’s three-year revenue revolution at NRS

Three years is a long enough period in public service to distinguish between activity and impact. It is long enough to look beyond speeches and promises and ask a simple question: What has changed? In the case of the Executive

Chairman, Nigeria Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji, the answer lies in the numbers, the technology, the laws, the institutions, and even in a building that had hitherto remained uncompleted for more than two decades.

Since he assumed leadership of the defunct Federal Inland Revenue Service in September 2023, Nigeria’s revenue administration has undergone one of its most significant transformations, with collections rising dramatically, technology moving to the centre of tax administration and a new institutional framework emerging under the Nigeria Revenue Service.

Revenue figures provide perhaps the clearest timeline of the transformation.

Tax collections were about N12.3 trillion in 2023, the year Adedeji assumed office. The numbers rose to about N21 trillion in 2024; then reached N28.3 trillion in 2025, surpassing the year’s target of N25.2 trillion.

The momentum has continued into 2026. In the first six months of this year alone, the NRS generated N21.6 trillion, compared with N14.27 trillion in the corresponding period of 2025, representing a 49 per cent increase. These figures matter not simply because they represent more money in government coffers, but because they point to a broader shift toward stronger domestic revenue mobilisation and reduced dependence on volatile revenue sources.

What makes the story more interesting is that revenue growth has come alongside a fundamental change in how taxes are administered. Adedeji’s tenure has increasingly placed technology at the heart of the revenue system, moving the institution away from processes that depended heavily on paperwork and physical interaction.

Rev360, launched in 2026, is a major expression of that transformation. The platform is designed to give taxpayers a more integrated digital experience across key services and interactions with the revenue authority. It is part of a wider digital strategy aimed at simplifying compliance, improving data visibility, and reducing the friction that has historically characterised interactions between taxpayers and tax authorities.

The same philosophy is evident in the move towards electronic invoicing and digital fiscal systems. E-invoicing creates greater visibility over transactions, strengthens the revenue authority’s ability to verify declarations, and reduces opportunities for under-reporting.

For businesses, the long-term benefit is a more predictable, technology-driven compliance environment. The objective is not technology for technology’s sake.

It is to create a tax system where government can see more of the economy while legitimate businesses can comply with regulations without unnecessary bureaucracy.

That is a significant departure from an older model in which tax administration was often associated with paperwork, physical visits and multiple layers of interaction.

The policy reforms have provided the legal foundation for this transformation.

The new tax laws that took effect in January 2026 brought together a previously fragmented framework and introduced clearer rules for tax administration.

The Nigeria Tax Act, Nigeria Tax Administration Act, Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Act and Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria Establishment Act collectively represent a major restructuring of the country’s tax architecture.

One key objective is to simplify compliance, clarify responsibilities, and reduce duplication. The reforms also seek to address the long-standing concerns around overlapping taxes and multiple demands on businesses.

While it would be premature to claim that every instance of multiple taxation has disappeared, the reforms clearly point toward harmonisation, greater certainty, and a simpler relationship between taxpayers and government.

That institutional shift is captured in the transition from FIRS to NRS. The change is more than a new name. The Nigeria Revenue Service reflects a broader approach to revenue mobilisation and administration, with stronger emphasis on collaboration, data and integration.

Revenue collection increasingly requires agencies to work together rather than operate in silos. The National Single Window is one example, bringing relevant agencies involved in trade processes into a more coordinated digital environment.

Better synergy among revenue and trade-related agencies can reduce duplication, improve efficiency and ultimately make it easier for businesses to operate.

The improvement in staff allowances and welfare has also been an important part of the transformation, because a high-performing revenue service requires a motivated and properly equipped workforce. The deliberate infusion of young professionals into the Service has brought fresh energy, digital skills and new ideas, strengthening the capacity of the NRS to deliver on its expanding mandate.

The completion of headquarters building may be the most powerful physical symbol of the institutional transformation. For more than 20 years, the building remained uncompleted, a familiar reminder of projects that had outlived several administrations.

Under Adedeji’s leadership, the abandoned project was revived and completed.

In April 2026, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inaugurated the 16-storey NRS headquarters, a modern facility designed to accommodate about 3,000 staff and equipped with a data processing centre, training facilities, an auditorium, a clinic, a library, and a gym.

The significance of these achievements becomes clearer when viewed together. The story is not just about a revenue authority collecting more money; it is about an institution being rebuilt around technology, stronger laws, better coordination, improved infrastructure and a more modern understanding of the taxpayer. The more enduring dividend may be the systems being put in place to sustain that growth.

Three years of Adedeji’s leadership, Nigeria’s revenue administration looks markedly different. The tax system is becoming more digital. Revenue mobilisation is becoming more data-driven. Tax laws are becoming more consolidated. Government agencies are working towards greater synergy. Businesses are being brought into a more structured compliance environment. And an institution once operating from an unfinished building now has a headquarters befitting a modern national revenue authority.

• ArabinrinAderonke, Technical Assistant, Broadcast Media to the Executive Chairman, NRS/The SUN

Oyedele leads six-week review of tax reforms

The Federal Government has begun a six-week review of Nigeria’s tax reforms to address implementation gaps, ambiguities and unintended consequences that have emerged since the new tax laws took effect in January.

The exercise will review key areas of the tax regime, including Value Added Tax thresholds, withholding tax, capital gains treatment and multiple taxation, with recommendations expected to form part of the Finance Bill 2027.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, TaiwoOyedele, disclosed this in Abuja while inaugurating the Technical Subcommittee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.

Oyedele, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, said the implementation of the new laws had exposed areas requiring clarification, refinement and further reforms.

“The real test begins when the law meets the economy, as businesses interpret it, administrators implement it, investors respond to it, and citizens experience it. Implementation inevitably reveals areas requiring clarification, refinement or further reform,” the minister said.

The Nigeria Tax Act 2025, Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act 2025 and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act 2025 came into full effect on January 1, 2026.

Oyedele said the government was moving from fundamental reforms to continuous improvement, stressing that the latest exercise was not intended to reverse the 2025 reforms but to address problems identified during implementation.

He said, “The Finance Bill 2027 should not be seen as just another annual legislative exercise. Our task is not to rewrite the 2025 reforms, but to preserve their fundamental principles while learning from implementation and responding to new economic realities.

“We must ask where implementation has revealed ambiguity, where unintended consequences have emerged, where compliance can be simplified, and where we can improve investment and competitiveness.”

The review, he added, would extend beyond taxation to fiscal policy and management, public financial management, debt, transparency, capital markets and cross-border capital flows.

According to him, the government received 134 submissions from across the geopolitical zones following its call for public input, in addition to submissions received in hard copies.

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He said preliminary issues raised by stakeholders included proposals to clarify and simplify VAT thresholds, withholding tax, and capital gains treatment.

Other proposals sought stronger action against multiple taxation and better coordination among revenue authorities, as well as increased digitalisation and data sharing to prevent taxpayers from repeatedly submitting information already held by government agencies.

Stakeholders also proposed stronger taxpayer rights, faster refunds, safeguards for small businesses and measures to improve investment and competitiveness in mining, renewable energy, healthcare and capital markets.

Oyedele urged the subcommittee to consider the economic impact of proposed changes, particularly on low-income households, workers and businesses.

He stated, “Every tax reform produces winners and losers; the question is whether a policy is fair, efficient and competitive, not whether it is popular with everyone,” he said.

“A provision that raises revenue may impose a far greater cost on the wider economy. The government must optimise the whole economy, not merely achieve a single objective.”

• The PUNCH

What your taxes do

Reconstruction of Terminal 1, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos

This involves a major reconstruction contract approved in 2025. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria oversees the project.

Contractor

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

Contract cost

The project cost is N712 billion, funded through Nigeria's Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund as part of a larger N919 billion aviation upgrade. This covers Terminal 1 rehabilitation, Terminal 2 expansion, roads, aprons, and bridges.

Timeline

Construction began in March 2026 and is projected to span 22 months, barring delays, with Terminal 1 fully closed during this period. A temporary 8,000 m² departure hall handles operations in the interim, supporting up to 1,500 peak-hour passengers.

Scope of work

Work strips Terminal 1 to its concrete core for structural reinforcement, then rebuilds with modern systems including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, security, and baggage handling upgrades. It includes internal layout reconfiguration for separated arrival/departure flows, facade upgrades with glass curtain walls, and optimised passenger movement. Terminal 2 expands by 15,000 m² for wide-body aircraft, with elocated hangars.

New facilities

Key additions feature a skywalk linking the multi-level car park to Terminal 2, a connection building unifying T1 and T2, and new ring roads with a bridge for seamless access. Other enhancements include a dedicated transit area, automated e-passport gates, smart HVAC/lighting, upgraded lounges, retail zones with cultural elements, redesigned landscapes, and advanced CCTV/security coverage.

Passenger capacity

17.6 million annually

Oyo plans inclusion of hospitality into tax system

Oyo State Government has announced plans to bring all hospitality businesses in the state into its tax system as part of efforts to improve data collection, boost revenue generation and strengthen security coordination across the sector.

The state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism Development, Wasiu Olatubosun, announced this at the state Tourism and Hospitality Conference, held in Ibadan, in conjunction with ITC Advisory Services.

Olatubosun said, “The majority of hospitality operators in the state are yet to register with the government, while some registered businesses were not remitting their dues regularly, a situation that was significantly affecting the state’s revenue generation.

“The renewed engagement with stakeholders was the first phase of a three-stage process comprising identification, cooperation and enforcement, with the enforcement stage expected to commence in October, 2026.”

He urged hospitality businesses to take advantage of the ongoing engagement and comply with the requirements of the state government.

Olatubosun also enjoined hospitality businesses to submit monthly figures of customers who patronise their facilities to help populate data at the Bureau of Statistics and enhance security coordination across the state.

Also, the lawmaker representing Oyo East/Oyo West Constituency, Olorunpoto Rahman, reiterated the commitment of the state House of Assembly to partnering with the executive arm of government to build a tourism sector that is secure, data-driven and business-friendly. The PUNCH

Tax tribunal orders institute to pay N2bn tax bill

The Tax Appeal Tribunal has Abuja ordered the Cement Technology Institute of Nigeria to pay the Nigeria Revenue Service an assessment tax of N2bn.

The five-member panel gave the order in its judgment on an appeal marked TAT/ABJ/332/2023 filed by the Institute.

The CTIN filled the suit on Sept 7, 2023 on notice of additional assessment and demand notes for companies income tax.

Others are Education Tax and withholding tax from 2018 to 2020 years of assessment, 2017 to 2019 years of account and notice of refusal to amend, dated September 2023.

The Institute also contended that the purported charge on Companies Income Tax and Education Tax on interest income earned on its Treasury Bills, Bonds and Fixed Deposit placements are unlawful, null and void and inconsistent with the provisions of the law.

The appellant also argued that withholding tax charged on the management fees paid to the Bank of Industry were unlawful.

In resolution of the issues, the panel formulated four issues as trade or business, income is not the same as taxable profit; secondly, companies income tax(exemption of bonds and short-term government securities) order, 2011.

The tribunal held that for the reasons presented, this appeal is dismissed.

“Consequently, the Tribunal finds that the Companies Income Tax payable by the Appellant is N1,835,484,959.69 while the Tertiary Education Tax payable is N190,158,410.44,” the tribunal said.

It held that the respondent should within 30 days, recompute the assessment to give effect to the exemption of interest income specifically traceable to Federal Government Treasury Bills and Bonds under the Companies Income Tax (Exemption of Bonds and Short-Term Government Securities) Order, 2011. PMNews

Q & A: What is the tax treatment of benefits-in-kind?

 Benefits-in-kind are valued at 5 percent of the employer’s acquisition cost or market value, or the annual rent/hire cost, and are taxable in the hands of the employee (Section 14).

Taxable Line: Tax evasion is tantamount to an act of treason that betrays the country – Najib Razak (Prime Minister of Malaysia, November 25, 2013)