Three years of Zacch Adedeji’s revenue revolution — by Arabinrin Aderonke
Three years is a long enough period in public service to distinguish between activity and impact. It is long enough to look beyond speeches, launches and promises and ask a simple question: what has changed? In the case of Dr Zacch Adedeji, the answer lies in the numbers, the technology, the laws, the institutions, and even in a building that had stood unfinished for more than two decades. Since he assumed leadership of the 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.
The revenue numbers provide perhaps the clearest timeline of the transformation. Tax collections were about ₦12.3 trillion in 2023, the year Adedeji assumed office. They rose to about ₦21 trillion in 2024, then reached ₦28.3 trillion in 2025, surpassing the year’s target of ₦25.2 trillion. The momentum has continued into 2026. In the first six months of this year alone, the Nigeria Revenue Service generated ₦21.6 trillion, compared with ₦14.27 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 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. A better-supported workforce, combined with new talent and technology, is ultimately reflected in the Service’s growing efficiency, stronger revenue performance and ability to engage taxpayers in a more modern and responsive way.
Then there is the story of the headquarters, which may be the most powerful physical symbol of the institutional transformation. For more than 20 years, the building remained unfinished, 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 commissioned 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. A project that had spent more than two decades waiting for completion was finally brought back to life.
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. From ₦12.3 trillion in 2023 to ₦28.3 trillion in 2025, and ₦21.6 trillion in just six months of 2026, the revenue trajectory is striking. But the more enduring dividend may be the systems being put in place to sustain that growth.
Three years after Zach Adedeji took charge, 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.
The journey is far from over. The country still has significant room to expand its tax base, improve taxpayer confidence and ensure that increased revenue translates into better public outcomes. But three years is enough time to recognise a transformation already underway.
The numbers have moved. The technology has moved. The laws have moved. The institution has moved. And, perhaps most importantly, Nigeria’s revenue administration is moving with them.
Arabinrin Aderonke MNIPR is an award-winning investigative journalist, 2014 Laureate of Wole Soyinka Investigative Journalism Award, 2016 finalist, CNN. She’s the Technical Assistant, Broadcast Media to the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service
