NRS to Overhaul Nigeria’s Revenue Architecture, Says Adedeji
Story by Martha Gwary
The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has said that the replacement of the defunct Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) will fundamentally transform the country’s revenue administration framework.
The Executive Chairman of the NRS, Dr Zacch Adedeji, stated this during a television interview monitored in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that provisions of the recently enacted tax reform laws have renamed Nigeria’s apex tax authority from FIRS to NRS.
READ ALSO: Two Years of Adedeji at FIRS: A raft of achievements, by Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad, PhD
According to Adedeji, the transition to the NRS goes far beyond a change of name, describing it as a comprehensive institutional upgrade.
He explained that the new structure represents a shift from fragmented revenue administration to a modern, digitalised, centralised and intelligence-driven system.
Under the new framework, Adedeji said multiple tax and revenue-related functions previously dispersed across different agencies have been consolidated, with increased emphasis on data integration, automation and the reduction of human discretion.
He also dismissed claims that the newly enacted tax reform laws were altered after being passed by the National Assembly.
“Only the officially gazetted Acts carry legal authority and are binding on taxpayers and administrators,” Adedeji said.
He explained that a law passed by the National Assembly only becomes effective after presidential assent and official gazetting, noting that the gazetted version remains the authoritative text in the event of any dispute.
“Revenue agencies, courts and taxpayers are therefore guided solely by the gazetted law, not draft bills, committee reports or chamber debates,” he added.
Adedeji further stated that neither the executive nor the revenue authority has the incentive or legal power to alter the law after its passage.
He said the overhaul of the NRS is also intended to support the Federal Government’s wider fiscal objectives.
According to him, Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio has improved in recent years, rising to about 13.5 per cent as of October 2025.
“However, this remains below the African average and well short of what is recorded in comparable emerging markets,” he said.
Adedeji noted that the overarching goal of the reforms is to focus taxation on profits and returns rather than capital or investment.
“We are not going to tax poverty; we want to tax prosperity,” he said.
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