Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) has launched Taxporta, a new digital tax management platform to simplify tax administration and enhance compliance.

Mr Michael Ango, executive chairman FCT- IRS, at a stakeholders’ engagement with MDAs at the National Assembly Library Trust Fund Complex, Abuja, on the implementation of Nigeria’s 2025 tax reforms to ensure voluntary compliance, reiterated the commitment of the Service to make filing of taxes easier for all taxpayers, Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).

Ango described the new portal as an upgrade of the agency’s existing digital infrastructure to provide taxpayers with faster, safer and more efficient services.

He said the initiative is an end-to-end self-service platform through which taxpayers can register, file returns, calculate taxes, and generate receipts without third-party assistance.

He added that Taxporta is also designed to enable taxpayers complete virtually all tax-related transactions without visiting FCT-IRS offices.

“All the allowances provided under the law have been imputed into the system. Essentially, you are only going to have to put in your income, all of the rest of the work, things like tax clearance, payments of taxes, and all will be done on the portal,” Ango said.

He expressed confidence that the new platform would strengthen revenue collection and help the Service exceed its annual revenue targets, which is to generate the maximum tax.

On enforcement, he assured that the Service would continue to prioritize voluntary compliance over sanctions.

He further explained that collaboration with MDAs for revenue generation is key for the FCT-IRS, which occupies a unique position as both a Federal Government agency and an agency of the Federal Capital Territory Administration.

He said the stakeholder engagement was organized to ensure a seamless transition from the previous platform to the upgraded system while strengthening partnerships with government institutions, adding improved tax compliance would support the ongoing transformation of Abuja through increased funding for infrastructure and public services.

Ango stated that the FCT, as an institution, was funded, apart from the IGR, by one percent of the allocation to the federal government, with Value Added Tax and service accounting for the bulk of its revenue.

In his remarks, Executive Secretary of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, Hon. Henry Nwauna, described the engagement as a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening collaboration between government institutions and tax authorities.

Galaxy Backbone (GBB) has engaged banks, fintech firms and other technology stakeholders in fresh discussions on strengthening digital trust, regulatory compliance and secure digital infrastructure in Nigeria’s financial sector.

The engagement took place during the organisation’s second-quarter webinar, which brought together Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and industry leaders to examine strategies for building resilient digital infrastructure as financial services become increasingly technology-driven.

The webinar, themed “Building Digital Trust in Nigeria’s Financial Sector: Navigating Regulatory Compliance and Infrastructure Performance,” comes amid the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) directive requiring banks, fintech companies, mobile money operators and other payment service providers to store payment transaction data generated within the country on local servers.

The CBN had said the policy is aimed at strengthening regulatory oversight, improving transparency, reducing concentration risks and ensuring that critical payment data remains within Nigeria’s jurisdiction.

Opening the webinar, GBB’s Executive Director, Finance, Ibrahim Sani, said the rapid transformation of the country’s financial services industry had made trusted digital infrastructure indispensable to the delivery of secure, reliable and future-ready financial services.

He noted that Galaxy Backbone already provides digital infrastructure supporting both public and private sector organisations, including several financial institutions that rely on its secure connectivity, cloud computing and data centre services.

According to him, “Galaxy Backbone continues to provide the digital backbone that supports both public and private sector institutions. We remain well positioned to support the industry’s compliance journey by delivering resilient infrastructure that meets evolving regulatory and business requirements.”

Also speaking, the Executive Director, Digital Exploration and Technical Services, Olumbe Akinkugbe, stressed that compliance with CBN directives and other regulatory frameworks was essential to strengthening transparency, accountability, consumer confidence and the security of financial data in an increasingly digital economy.

He maintained that regulatory compliance had become a key pillar in safeguarding Nigeria’s financial ecosystem as digital transactions continue to expand.

The webinar also featured a presentation by GBB’s Head of Automation and Integration, Thomas Oghenebhumhe, who showcased the organisation’s sovereign cloud platform and highlighted the importance of secure cloud adoption across the financial services industry.

He explained that resilient cloud infrastructure enables financial institutions to innovate more rapidly, improve operational efficiency, safeguard sensitive information and comply with evolving regulatory standards.

His presentation was followed by an interactive session during which participants sought practical insights on cloud migration, data sovereignty and regulatory compliance.

Head of Data Centre Operations, Samuel Olusola Oyeleke, later highlighted Galaxy Backbone’s globally certified Tier III and Tier IV data centre infrastructure, describing it as resilient enough to guarantee uninterrupted digital services, disaster recovery and business continuity for mission-critical financial operations.

Closing the webinar, Executive Director, Customer Centricity and Marketing, Olusegun Olulade, said building digital trust required sustained collaboration among regulators, technology providers and financial institutions.

“As Nigeria’s financial ecosystem becomes increasingly digital, organisations must invest in infrastructure that not only meets regulatory requirements but also guarantees resilience, security, business continuity and customer confidence,” he said.

Olulade reaffirmed Galaxy Backbone’s commitment to supporting the financial services industry with secure, resilient and globally aligned digital infrastructure that enables institutions to innovate with confidence while maintaining compliance with changing regulatory standards.

The organisation said its Uptime-certified data centres, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) certification, sovereign cloud platform and nationwide fibre-optic network provide trusted platforms for secure data hosting, payment security, regulatory compliance, business continuity and disaster recovery.

According to GBB, the infrastructure also supports Nigeria’s growing data sovereignty agenda by ensuring that critical financial data is securely hosted, readily accessible and remains within the country’s jurisdiction in line with regulatory expectations.

With more than two decades of delivering shared ICT infrastructure and digital services, Galaxy Backbone said it has continued to support digital transformation across both the public and private sectors through secure connectivity, cloud services, cybersecurity, managed ICT services and enterprise-grade data centre solutions.

United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has announced that its Group Chairman, Mr Tony O. Elumelu, will retire from the Board of Directors on Aug. 21, 2026, upon completing the 12-year tenure limit for non-executive directors prescribed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The bank disclosed this in a statement issued following a meeting of its Board of Directors held on July 6.

According to the statement, the board accepted Elumelu’s retirement and elected Mr Emmanuel N. Nnorom, a Non-Executive Director of the bank, as his successor with effect from Aug. 21, 2026.

The board expressed appreciation to Elumelu for what it described as his visionary leadership and immense contributions to the growth and institutional development of the UBA Group.

It noted that under his leadership, UBA expanded into a leading pan-African financial institution with operations in 20 African countries and four global financial centres, serving more than 50 million customers.

The board described Elumelu’s tenure as a defining period in the bank’s history.

Nnorom, who will assume office as chairman upon Elumelu’s retirement, is a chartered accountant with more than 40 years of experience in banking, finance and auditing.

The statement said he brings extensive leadership experience and deep institutional knowledge of the bank to his new role.

Speaking on his retirement, Elumelu described serving UBA as one of the greatest privileges of his professional career.

“Serving United Bank for Africa has been one of the great privileges of my career.

“UBA has established a unique competitive position across Africa and globally, and I leave the Board with great confidence in UBA’s future.

“Emmanuel Nnorom is a leader of integrity, experience and sound judgement, and I am confident that the bank will continue to thrive under his leadership,” he said.

Responding to his appointment, Nnorom expressed gratitude to the board for the confidence reposed in him.

“I am honoured by the trust the Board has placed in me and deeply conscious of the legacy I inherit.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Board, Management and our staff across all our markets to sustain UBA’s momentum and continue delivering long-term value to our shareholders, customers and stakeholders,” he said.

UBA operates in 20 African countries as well as the United Kingdom, the United States, France and the United Arab Emirates.

The bank provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services and serves more than 50 million customers globally, with a workforce of about 25,000 employees across its operations.