Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) says its replacement with the defunct Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) will overhaul the architecture of the country’s revenue administration.

Dr Zacch Adedeji, the executive chairman of NRS, said this in a television interview monitored from Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the provision of the recently enacted tax reform laws changes the nomenclature of the country’s apex tax authority from FIRS to NRS.

According to Adedeji, NRS is not branding. It is a total institutional upgrade moving from fragmented revenue administration to a modern, digitalised, centralised and intelligence-driven system.

He said that under the new framework, multiple tax and revenue-related functions previously spread across agencies have been consolidated, with a stronger emphasis on data integration, automation, and reduced human discretion.

He dismissed allegations that the country’s newly enacted tax reform laws were altered after passage by the National Assembly.

“Only the officially gazetted Acts carry legal authority and are binding on taxpayers and administrators,” he said.

The NRS boss said that an Act of the National Assembly only became effective after Presidential assent and official gazetting, with the gazetted version constituting the authoritative text in the event of disputes.

“Revenue agencies, courts, and taxpayers are therefore guided solely by the gazetted law, not draft bills, committee reports or chamber debates.

“Neither the executive nor the revenue authority has any incentive or legal capacity to alter the law after passage,” he said.

Adedeji said that the overhaul of the NRS is also designed to support the Federal Government’s broader fiscal objectives.

According to him, Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio has improved in recent years, rising to about 13.5 per cent as at October 2025.

“But it remains below the African average and well short of levels seen in peer emerging markets,” he said.

Adedeji said that the overall aim is on taxing profits and returns rather than capital or investment.

“We are not going to tax poverty; we want to tax prosperity,” he said.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced plans to review its rules to encourage the listing of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on the nation’s stock exchanges as part of efforts to deepen the capital market and stimulate economic growth.

has reinforced its position as one of the major forces underpinning Nigeria’s payments ecosystem after processing more than ₦100 trillion worth of transactions in 2025, highlighting its expanding role in the country’s digital economy.

The payment technology platform, licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria as a Switch, Payment System Service Provider, Payment Terminal Service Provider and Super-Agent, operates largely behind the scenes, enabling millions of daily transactions across the public and private sectors.

From salary payments and loan repayments to school fees, pensions, electricity bills and government revenues, Remita supports a broad range of financial activities undertaken by individuals, businesses and institutions across the country. Industry observers often describe its function as the “rails” on which Nigeria’s payment system runs — critical infrastructure that is most visible only when it fails.

According to the company, the volume of transactions processed in 2025 was driven not by one-off spikes but by consistent, everyday activity across transaction switching for financial institutions, corporate and public-sector payments, and consumer financial flows. Remita also facilitated access to more than 15,000 products and services across 180 countries, extending its reach beyond Nigeria’s borders.

Throughout the year, the platform played a central role in revenue collection and disbursements for federal, state and local governments, ensuring the smooth payment of salaries and the continuity of public services.

Analysts note that such reliability is increasingly seen as essential to maintaining public trust in digital governance systems.

On a typical day, Remita enables a wide spectrum of transactions nationwide: a civil servant in Gombe receiving her salary, a contractor in Kogi getting paid, a student in Enugu settling university fees, residents in Abuja paying for water services, property owners in Lagos paying land use charges, and motorists paying traffic fines anywhere in the country.

In 2025, Remita also took steps towards deeper continental relevance through integration with the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), a move aimed at simplifying cross-border payments within Africa and reducing reliance on third-party currencies.

‘DeRemi Atanda, managing director of Remita, said the company’s focus is on building infrastructure capable of supporting a more interconnected African digital economy. “Our responsibility is to build systems that can support that future. We are not just building for Nigeria. We are building infrastructure that can support Africa’s digital economy,” he said.

Artificial intelligence also featured prominently in Remita’s strategy during the year, with the company releasing a fintech AI report that positioned Nigeria within global discussions on the use of AI in financial services.

The report signalled a shift towards payment systems that are more predictive and responsive, rather than merely automated.

Financial inclusion remained another key focus. Through partnerships with agent networks such as Moniepoint, NIPOST and Paga, Remita expanded access to financial services in underbanked communities, bringing digital payment options closer to individuals and small businesses outside traditional banking channels.

Looking ahead, Remita is preparing for the public launch of a next-generation mobile app in the first quarter of 2026, following a public beta in late 2025. The app is expected to offer features including multi-bank account management, esusu groups, recurring payments, international transactions in local currency and discounted airline tickets.

As Nigeria and Africa push towards deeper economic integration, industry analysts say platforms like Remita — reliable, scalable and largely invisible — are likely to play an even more critical role in shaping the continent’s financial future.