The Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Dr Zacch Adedeji, has said the replacement of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) with NRS will fundamentally overhaul Nigeria’s revenue administration.
Speaking in a television interview in Abuja, Adedeji explained that the change, introduced under the recently enacted tax reform laws, goes beyond a name change and represents a full institutional upgrade.
According to him, the NRS framework consolidates previously fragmented revenue and tax functions across agencies into a centralised, digitalised and intelligence-driven system, with greater data integration, automation and reduced human discretion.
Adedeji dismissed claims that the tax reform laws were altered after passage by the National Assembly, stressing that only the officially gazetted Acts, following presidential assent, carry legal authority.
He noted that revenue agencies, courts and taxpayers are bound strictly by the gazetted law, not draft bills, committee reports or legislative debates, adding that neither the executive nor revenue authorities have the power or incentive to change the law after passage.
The NRS boss said the reforms align with the Federal Government’s broader fiscal objectives, pointing out that Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio rose to about 13.5 per cent by October 2025, though it remains below the African average.
He emphasised that the new tax approach will focus on taxing profits and returns rather than capital or investment.
“We are not going to tax poverty; we want to tax prosperity,” Adedeji said.
