Tax Revolution: Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda Pushes Nigeria to Fiscal History.
By Tayo Mabeweje
In the grand tapestry of Nigeria’s economic transformation, one thread now gleams brighter than the rest — the story of a nation rediscovering its power to build, fund, and sustain itself. Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s fiscal rebirth has taken the form of a quiet revolution, and at the heart of this revolution stands the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), an institution once burdened by bureaucracy but now reborn as a model of innovation and efficiency.
The numbers tell a story more persuasive than any rhetoric. Between October 2023 and September 2025, the FIRS collected an unprecedented ₦47.39 trillion in revenue — a 15 percent overshoot of its target and a 115 percent performance rate. It is a record that shatters old ceilings and erects new standards for public administration. For a nation long dependent on the unpredictable tides of oil, this fiscal triumph represents more than money in government coffers; it signals a new national psychology, a return to discipline, and the triumph of reform over inertia.
When President Tinubu unveiled his Renewed Hope Agenda in 2023, he spoke of a Nigeria that would “work for those who work for it,” a country where productivity would be rewarded and waste confronted. Those words have since crystallized into policy, and policy into results. The President’s decision to entrust the nation’s revenue architecture to Dr. Zacch Adedeji, a man whose career bridges intellect and integrity, has proven to be both prescient and pivotal.
Under Dr. Adedeji’s stewardship, the FIRS has become less of a tax office and more of a national engine room — humming with digital precision, guided by data, and driven by a clear sense of purpose. He has often described his mission as ensuring that every kobo due to the Federation is collected, accounted for, and used to build a stronger nation — a statement that captures both his ethos and his execution.
The journey to this milestone has not been a sprint but a steady climb. In the first nine months of 2025 alone, the Service collected ₦22.59 trillion, achieving 120 percent of its revenue target and 90 percent of its annual goal before the year’s end. Each quarter told its own story of resilience and reform — of new systems replacing old silos, of compliance replacing coercion, and of innovation replacing inefficiency.
The transformation has been most visible in the non-oil sector, where ₦17.3 trillion was generated, representing 128 percent of target and accounting for 76 percent of total revenue. This is no small victory. It is the sound of a new Nigeria rising from the ashes of oil dependency — a Nigeria building an economy on productivity, enterprise, and innovation rather than crude exports.
Dr. Adedeji’s reforms read like a blueprint for the future: the introduction of a National Single Window and e-Invoicing System ensuring transparency and traceability in trade; the creation of the 829# USSD code that puts taxpayer services at the fingertips of millions; and the modernization of tax laws that simplify compliance and close loopholes that once drained the system. Behind each of these reforms lies a simple philosophy — to make it easier for citizens to do right by their country.
The results have not only strengthened national revenue but also restored the public’s faith in institutional performance. Once derided as slow and opaque, the FIRS is now the gold standard of digital governance. It is a metaphor for what the Renewed Hope Agenda seeks to achieve: turning weak structures into winning institutions.
The coming transformation of the FIRS into the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) by 2026 is already being hailed as the next leap forward — a move designed to institutionalize transparency, performance, and accountability. For Dr. Adedeji, it is not just a change of name but the birth of a new fiscal identity, one that aligns Nigeria’s revenue framework with global best practices.
The Presidency, in acknowledging this milestone, described the FIRS achievement as proof that the Renewed Hope Agenda is not a slogan but a system that works. It said the results demonstrate the rebirth of discipline and accountability in public service and the power of vision when matched with competence. It added that under the Tinubu administration, Nigeria has shifted from policy declarations to measurable results, proving that reform is not rhetoric but reality.
Indeed, the FIRS’ record-breaking performance is more than a bureaucratic victory; it is a national awakening. It shows what happens when leadership dares to confront inefficiency with innovation and when institutions are freed from the grip of inertia.
For years, critics scoffed at the idea that Nigeria could diversify its economy or grow its revenue without leaning on oil. They warned that subsidy reforms, exchange rate liberalization, and fiscal tightening would shrink government income. Yet, the evidence now rebukes them. The figures emerging from the FIRS stand like a lighthouse in the storm — illuminating the truth that courage, not caution, drives progress.
The naysayers, who once dismissed the Renewed Hope Agenda as ambitious rhetoric, now face the reality of its results. The same policies they derided have expanded Nigeria’s fiscal space, enabled debt reduction, and financed infrastructure projects across sectors. In this light, the ₦47.39 trillion collection is more than a statistic; it is a statement — that Nigeria is done crawling and ready to stride.
For a nation aspiring toward a $1 trillion economy by 2030, this achievement represents both a foundation and a forecast. It promises a future where Nigeria’s development is funded not by borrowed promises but by earned confidence. The resources now flowing through legitimate tax channels will translate into new roads, better schools, improved healthcare, and stronger security.
Dr. Adedeji often insists that this is only the beginning. He maintains that the Service’s next frontier is deepening automation, expanding the tax net to the informal sector, and enhancing collaboration with subnational governments. His words echo with both humility and ambition — that no achievement is final until the system sustains itself without constant supervision.
The story of FIRS under the Renewed Hope Agenda is, at its core, the story of what Nigeria can become when leadership and integrity converge. It is a reminder that reform, though often uncomfortable, remains the most effective antidote to decay. It also shows that when a President sets a clear direction and entrusts capable hands with execution, national transformation ceases to be a dream and becomes a deliverable.
As the FIRS moves toward its next horizon, with the prospect of surpassing ₦25.2 trillion in annual revenue by the end of 2025 — 37.6 percent higher than the national budget estimate — the message to the world is unmistakable: Nigeria is not waiting for miracles; it is manufacturing them. The Renewed Hope Agenda has become more than a policy platform — it is a national renaissance powered by results, anchored in reform, and embodied by leaders who believe that progress is not proclaimed but proven.
