President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Tuesday, unveiled the new corporate headquarters of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) with a charge to the agency to be an embodiment of trust, fairness, and accountability in government.
He also declared that Nigeria has entered a decisive phase of fiscal discipline, institutional strengthening and economic renewal.
Speaking at the event in Abuja, the president said his administration’s reform agenda was yielding measurable progress, and the country steadily transitioning from “the dimness of uncertainty into the clear light of renewed hope.”
Describing the edifice as more than just a physical structure, Tinubu said the new NRS headquarters represents a bold national statement, a commitment to transparency, professionalism, and efficiency in revenue administration.
“We are not gathered here merely to commission a building. We are marking a milestone in a larger national journey — the deliberate strengthening of our fiscal foundation and the rebuilding of confidence in public institutions,” the president said.
He reaffirmed that the promises made during his inauguration were not mere rhetoric but a binding covenant with Nigerians, anchored on confronting structural weaknesses and building an equitable economic system.
The president noted that the administration’s sweeping tax and fiscal reforms “are already producing encouraging outcomes, including improved fiscal stability, stronger foreign reserves and rising investor confidence.”
According to him, “these gains are the direct result of deliberate policy, sustained effort, and a commitment to long-term national prosperity.”
“Our direction is clear — a revenue system that rewards enterprise, supports growth, and ensures that every contribution to the national purse is matched by tangible value for the people,” he said.
The president, therefore, charged the NRS to rise to the demands of reform by embodying a new ethos of fairness, accountability, and service excellence.
Tinubu said: “You must embody trust and ensure fairness and demonstrate that government can be accountable, responsive and earn confidence at home and respect abroad.”
He stressed that taxation must no longer be seen as opaque or burdensome, but as a transparent and just system that earns public trust.
“No serious nation can achieve lasting prosperity on a weak and fragmented revenue system,” Tinubu declared, stressing that “no government can demand trust when taxation is inefficient or unjust.”
…Further task to the agency
He urged the agency to evolve beyond revenue collection into a model institution that commands respect both domestically and internationally.
Highlighting the symbolic importance of the new headquarters, the president described it as a reflection of Nigeria’s resolve to match institutional performance with national aspirations.
“The building is more than concrete and steel,” he said, adding that “it is a symbol of a new standard — one that reflects professionalism, transparency, efficiency, and service.”
He commended the leadership of the agency, particularly its Executive Chairman, Dr Zacch Adedeji, for driving reforms and demonstrating that Nigeria is working.
The president also paid tribute to Nigerians for their resilience and patience amid ongoing reforms, assuring that the sacrifices are not in vain.
He called for sustained commitment across all sectors, stressing that national renewal requires courage, consistency, and collective effort.
“History will not judge us by what we say, but by what we do — by the institutions we strengthen and the discipline we sustain,” he said.
The president declared that the country has made a conscious choice to pursue discipline, development, and inclusive prosperity.
“We have chosen reform. We have chosen progress. We have chosen development and inclusiveness.
“And we will stay this course, steadfast and focused, until the promise of Nigeria is matched by the performance of its institutions and the prosperity of its people,” he said.
…Adedeji on agency’s mission
In his opening address, the NRS boss, Dr. Adedeji said Tinubu’s reform agenda has led to a reset of Nigeria’s economic and fiscal architecture.
The NRS boss noted that pre-2023, Nigeria teetered on the brink when this administration took helm – fiscal chokeholds, investor flight, warped markets.
According to Adedeji, a seismic reset led to forex unification as well as cleared backlogs, thus restoring credibility.
He further said that over 60 archaic tax laws were fused into one coherent framework, boosting compliance without hiking burdens resulting in record domestic revenue, an example that smart systems triumph over a squeeze tactic.
He said: “Your Excellency, this moment is inseparable from your leadership and the reform agenda you have courageously advanced. When this administration assumed office, Nigeria faced a critical inflexion point, marked by constrained fiscal space, weakened investor confidence, and structural distortions across key sectors. What followed was not an incremental adjustment, but a comprehensive
“Through decisive actions, Your Excellency restored macroeconomic credibility, unifying foreign exchange markets, clearing long standing backlogs, and re-establishing confidence in Nigeria’s ability to operate a transparent and market-driven system. These were not easy decisions, but they were necessary decisions, and history will recognise them as such.”
Adedeji highlighted some of the measures to include: modernised trade via the National Single Window, slashing red tape; Naira-crude sales; ironclad remittance controls. “Visionary leadership translates tough calls into outcomes,” he said, crediting the president’s “clarity of purpose.”
“The revolutionary sale of crude in Naira initiative has repositioned the sector from a fiscal burden to a stabilising anchor for the economy,” he added.
He insisted that Nigeria recorded a “historic domestic revenue performance, demonstrating that disciplined reform yields sustainable results
“Beyond taxation, fiscal governance has been strengthened through improved remittance systems and tighter controls on public financial flows,” Adedeji said.
He described the headquarters building – a 16-floor, three-tower marvel designed to house over 3,000 staff – as not just a building but rather the country’s bold declaration of fiscal rebirth.
“This headquarters must spark efficiency, transparency, and trust – a “centre of excellence” for generations adding that Nigeria’s fiscal state is being remade.
“Today marks far more than the commissioning of a building. It marks the culmination of a defining institutional journey, one that has spanned years of vision, persistence, complexity, and ultimately, disciplined delivery. What stands before us is not merely an edifice of steel and structure, but the physical manifestation of a nation choosing order over drift, discipline over fragmentation, and execution over intent. It is the coming to life of a renewed fiscal vision, one that is structured, credible, and built to endure,” he said.
…Fiscal and institutional journey
In his goodwill message, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, said the commissioning marks a major achievement in the fiscal and institutional journey of our country.
Represented by Minister of State Taiwo Oyedele, he said: “This completed facility is not just a building. It is not just costs, it is investment, a physical expression of the fundamental shifts in how Nigeria is modernising revenue administration.
“Today, we have a unified, modern institutional structure. This mirrors the transformational progress we have seen in our tax system under the visionary leadership of his Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Before the reforms of this administration, Nigeria’s fiscal system faced structural challenges ranging from fragmented tax law, weak coordination, low tax to GDP ratio and unsustainable debt service. Today, we are witnessing a different trajectory. Though decisive leadership, our reforms have strengthened revenue institutions, improved collection significantly and laid the foundation for long term fiscal sustainability.
“We cannot build a modern economy with an outdated physical system. This new headquarters therefore symbolises a modern, integrated and technology enabled system designed not just for today but for the future.”
Other goodwill messages came from Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, and Managing Director of Chin Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Nigeria, Guan Shuai.
One of the major highlights was the running of a documentary titled “The Journey to NRS,” detailing the transformation from the old revenue agency structure to the new institution.
Formerly known as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the agency transited to NRS, January 1, 2026, following the passage of the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 and the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025.
The decision was part of the economic and fiscal reform agenda of the Tinubu administration.
