By Danjuma Amodu
The Federal Government’s replacement of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) with the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) signals far more than a name change, it is a full-scale overhaul of Nigeria’s revenue architecture.
In a televised interview monitored from Abuja, NRS Executive Chairman Dr Zacch Adedeji described the shift as a move from a fragmented, manual and discretion-heavy system to one that is modern, digitalised, centralised and intelligence-driven
Under the NRS framework, dozens of tax and non-tax revenue functions previously spread across multiple agencies are being consolidated into a single, unified structure. This aims to improve data integration, automate compliance processes, reduce human discretion and boost overall efficiency while supporting the government’s goal of raising Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio from 13.5% in October 2025 closer to African averages.
Adedeji also addressed legal concerns, reiterating that only Acts officially gazetted after presidential assent carry legal authority. He dismissed allegations that tax reform laws were altered after passage by the National Assembly, stressing that neither the executive nor the revenue authority has the power to modify legislation post-assent.
The NRS officially launched on January 1, 2026, following President Bola Tinubu’s signing of four critical bills in June 2025: the Nigeria Tax Bill, Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill. Together, these laws expand NRS’s mandate beyond taxes to encompass all federal non-tax revenues, strengthening transparency and accountability in how funds flow into the Federation Account.
In essence, the transition from FIRS to NRS isn’t cosmetic. It’s foundational. It forms part of a broader national push to build a revenue system grounded in trust, technology and fiscal discipline; one that taxes prosperity, not poverty.
