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2026 National Revenue Service half-year performance jumps by 50%

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Nigeria’s federal tax revenue (through the Nigeria Revenue Service, rose from about N14.27trillion in the first half of 2025 to about N21.6 trillion in the first half of 2026, an increase of roughly 51–52 percent in nominal terms, according to an economic report by the Presidency.

The figures were contained in the Economic Snapshot Report 2023 vs 2026.

Key figures

H1 2025 (January–June)

The Federal Government collected about N14.27 trillion in tax revenue under the platform of the now rested Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in the first half of 2025, according to a performance report
While this represented a major jump in the same period in 2024, it equally put the FIRS on track to meeting a full‑year revenue target of around N25.2 trillion.

H1 2026 (January–June)

The restructured NRS has collected about N21.6 trillion in the first half of 2026, based on an Economic Snapshot Report from the Presidency.

This was described as a 49 percent year‑on‑year increase relative to the corresponding period of 2025, and it was linked to tax reforms, digitalisation, and tighter oil‑revenue controls.

Side‑by‑side comparison

Period

Institution (label used in reports

Reported H1 revenue

Source description

H1 2025

FIRS

N14.27 trillion

Tax collections January–June 2025, as disclosed in a Presidency performance report.

H1 2026

NRS

N21.6 trillion

Tax collections January–June 2026, from a Presidency Economic Snapshot Report.

Growth between H1 2025 and H1 2026

Absolute increase

N21.6 trillion (H1 2026) minus N14.27 trillion (H1 2025) gives an increase of about N7.33 trillion in nominal collections.

Percentage growth

This implies an increase of roughly 51–52 percent year‑on‑year, which is broadly consistent with the “about 49 percent” y/y figure cited for H1 2026 collections, bearing in mind that the latter percentage appears to rely on an internal baseline for “corresponding period 2025” that may differ slightly from the media‑reported N14.27 trillion.

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Contextual factors noted in reports

Media and official commentaries attribute the jump partly to expanded non‑oil tax receipts, digital tax administration, enforcement measures, and reforms under the President Bola Tinubu administration, including closer oversight of oil‑related remittances.

What your taxes do

Project: Ibadan-ife-Ilesa Road reconstruction

Length: 108 (5km completed by Oyo State)

Scope: Dual carriageway treatment, with concrete pavement

Cost: N427 billion

Contractor: CBC Global

Timeline: 65 percent complete.
Reconstruction ongoing

Unfiled returns: CAC to deregister 100,000 firms

The Corporate Affairs Commission has commenced moves to strike off 100,000 companies from its register.

The firms are reported to have failed to file annual returns and other statutory documents.

The commission disclosed this in a public notice signed by its management recently.

It said the exercise, tagged Batch 6, was being carried out pursuant to Section 692 (3) and (4) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020.

According to the notice, the affected companies can find their names on the commission’s website.

The notice read, “This is to notify the General Public and Esteemed Customers that the Corporate Affairs Commission has commenced another round of striking off names of companies from the Register pursuant to the provisions of Section 692 (3) and(4) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020.

“The list of the affected One Hundred Thousand (100,000) companies can be accessed at the Commission’s Website http://cac.gov.ng.”

The Commission urged the companies to regularise their records within 90 days of the notice.

It said, “The affected companies are hereby advised to take steps to file all outstanding Annual Returns (and by extension Persons with Significant Control/Beneficial Ownership information) and regularise their records within ninety (90) days of this notice.”

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Filing of annual returns is a key component of the new tax law which took effect in January 1, 2026.

FG plans to review 270 oil industry taxes, levies

The Federal Government has begun efforts to review no less than 270 taxes, levies, and statutory charges in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry by engaging PwC to undertake the assignment.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, disclosed this recently while responding to concerns raised by indigenous oil producers during the opening ceremony of the 2026 NOG Energy Week in Abuja.

The minister’s comments came shortly after the Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group, Adegbite Falade, criticised the multiplicity of charges in the sector, describing Nigeria’s oil and gas industry as perhaps the most taxed and levied in the world.

Lokpobiri admitted that the complaints were valid but said the government had already initiated concrete steps to address them.

“When the Chairman of IPPG was talking, he made mention of the multiplicity of fees and rents. It’s been a major concern that Nigeria has over 270 fees, taxes and rents in this sector. It is true. But that doesn’t mean we’re not doing something about it,” he said.

According to the minister, the Federal Government has been engaging industry stakeholders on the issue since it was brought to its attention and has now commissioned PwC to compare Nigeria’s fiscal charges with those of competing petroleum-producing countries.

NRS steps up compliance on large taxpayers over digital invoice

The Nigeria Revenue Service has intensified efforts to enforce its electronic invoicing policy, directing all large taxpayers to complete migration to its digital invoicing platform by July 31, 2026.

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The agency said the deadline applies to companies classified as large taxpayers and follows an earlier public notice released on February 17, 2026, which detailed the timetable and requirements for implementing the Electronic Fiscal System, also known as the Merchant Buyer Solution (MBS).

A statement on Sunday by the Chairman’s Special Adviser on Media, Dare Adekanmbi, said the tax authority had begun assessing the level of compliance among affected businesses and warned that failure to meet the deadline could attract legal consequences.

The statement, signed by NRS Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, urged all affected organisations to complete registration, system integration, testing and commence transmitting invoices through the agency’s electronic platform before the specified deadline.

“NRS has already commenced compliance monitoring activities in order to assess the level of adherence to the e-invoicing mandate among large taxpayers.

“Consequently, any defaulting member may be subjected to appropriate regulatory and enforcement actions in accordance with the provisions of the relevant tax laws and regulations,” added the statement

Taxable Line: The expenses of government, having for their object the interests of all, should be borne by every one, and the more a man enjoys the advantages of society, the more he ought to hold himself honoured in contributing to these expenses — Anne Robert Jacques Turgot (Louis XVI’s Controller-General of Finances 1774–1776 in France)

Q and A: How does NRS handle data protection, confidentiality, and sovereignty?

NRS applies strict data protection, confidentiality, and cybersecurity standards consistent with Nigerian law, including the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, and aligned with international norms.

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Customs dismiss smuggling, revenue leakage allegations

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The Nigeria Customs Service has dismissed allegations of increased smuggling, revenue leakage, recruitment impropriety and manipulation of succession within the service, describing them as a misrepresentation of its operations and administrative processes.

The service’s National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, stated this in a response released on Thursday to an investigative report published by a media outlet (not PUNCH) on August 7, 2026.

The report had alleged intensified smuggling along the Seme, Idiroko, Ilaro, Ipokia and Igbeti-Kishi corridors, as well as manipulation of the 846 valuation code at the Apapa, Tin Can Island and PTML Area Commands.

Maiwada said the claim of a surge in smuggling was inconsistent with the service’s enforcement activities, pointing to regular seizures recorded along the affected corridors.

“Our responsibility is to reduce smuggling to the barest minimum, not to claim that it can be completely eradicated,” he said.

On the 846 valuation code, the NCS explained that it was a digital tool designed for vehicles with non-standard or non-compliant Vehicle Identification Numbers, including specialised heavy equipment, classic vehicles and customised models.

“The 846 code is an established digital valuation code within the Customs portal, specifically designated for vehicles with non-standard or non-compliant Vehicle Identification Numbers,” Maiwada said.

He added that standard vehicles were assessed automatically through manufacturer-linked databases, while 846 applications were subjected to secondary approval by valuation officers and Area Controllers.

Maiwada said discrepancies discovered through post-clearance audits could lead to Demand Notices for the recovery of short-collected duties and sanctions against offending operators, adding that revenue collections at major ports had reached historic levels under the digital framework.

On the recruitment of Assistant Superintendents of Customs II, the Service said the exercise was conducted under the authorisation of the Nigeria Customs Service Board and in line with the NCS Act 2023 and Federal Character Commission guidelines.

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It said successful candidates were issued provisional offers subject to medical verification, background checks and formal acceptance.

The Service also rejected allegations of succession manipulation and favouritism among officers, saying promotions were determined by seniority, merit, promotion examinations and available vacancies in accordance with established regulations.

“Succession and promotion within the Service are governed by established rules and career progression structures, not personal preference,” the Service said.

Maiwada said leadership training for Deputy Comptrollers was part of the Service’s human capital development strategy, aimed at strengthening trade operations, intelligence management and executive leadership.

He explained that approved training programmes and international exposures were funded through budgetary allocations or formal technical assistance arrangements with partner institutions.

Responding to calls for independent investigations, the NCS said it remained subject to oversight by the Federal Ministry of Finance, National Assembly, Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation and anti-corruption agencies.

“The management maintains a firm, intolerant posture toward corruption, revenue leakage or administrative misconduct,” the Service stated.

It added that any officer or stakeholder found culpable would face disciplinary action and prosecution in accordance with the law, while assuring Nigerians that the Service would cooperate with any legitimate investigation by statutory authorities.

Source: punchng.com

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Patience Jonathan revealed she mentored Azikel refinery boss Eruani from ‘small boy’ to big businessman

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Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife, Patience, has described the Group President of Azikel Group, Dr Azibapu Eruani, as a “small boy” she raised and mentored into the league of Nigeria’s biggest businessmen.

She said her guidance was behind his bold entry into big business at a relatively young age.

The former First Lady spoke on Tuesday in a video which went viral on Thursday during an inspection tour of the Azikel Refinery in Obunagha, Bayelsa State, alongside other dignitaries.

She said she personally introduced Eruani to billionaire businessmen, Aliko Dangote and Aminu Dantata, and pushed him to aspire to their level despite being the youngest among them.

“He’s a boy that I brought up. We are always together. Although he’s the little one among us when we are friends — Dangote, Seyi, Dantata, Eruani — among us, he’s the smallest. But I made sure he followed the Dangotes, he followed Dantata.

“Because I’m a woman in their midst, I made sure I told this small boy, ‘Go and follow them, and stop the grammar.’ But when he told me that one day he would be like Dangote, I said, ‘You’re thinking too high.’ I prayed to God to grant him his heart’s desire,” she said.

Group President of Azikel Group, Dr Azibapu Eruani

The former First Lady also recalled how the immediate past APC administration under Muhammadu Buhari initially failed to grant Eruani a refinery licence before eventually approving three.

“During the Buhari administration, he and others came to me and told me they were going to apply for a refinery. I told him, ‘Eruani, your brother, the President, did not give you a refinery.

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“Is it the APC government that will give you one?’ I prayed it would happen. But later, they came back and told me they had been given three refineries,” she said.

The inspection coincided with the arrival of the refinery’s Crude Distillation Unit, a major milestone in the development of the $1bn facility.

The 25,000 barrels-per-day plant is a private hydro-skimming refinery designed to process condensate into petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, kerosene and other products.

It is set to become Nigeria’s second-largest full-slate refinery and the first major privately owned refinery in the Niger Delta.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Samuel Ogbuku, who joined the inspection tour, commended Eruani for his perseverance, noting that he had attended the project’s groundbreaking ceremony eight years ago.

Ogbuku described the refinery as an inspiration and a potential catalyst for investment, job creation and economic growth in Bayelsa State, and urged residents, particularly youths, to key into the opportunities it would create.

 

 

He also praised the Bayelsa State Government for improving road infrastructure leading to the refinery site and called for continued support for the project.

Governor Douye Diri, who was represented at the inspection by his deputy, Peter Akpe, has consistently backed the project, which is expected to employ hundreds of workers and drive industrialisation in the state.

Other dignitaries at the event included the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, King Bubaraye Dakolo; Vice President of Azikel Group, Presley Asemota; and Isaac Yalah, among others.

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Source: punchng.com

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Aiyedatiwa signs new Ondo electricity power sector law

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Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has assented to the Ondo State Electric Power Sector (Amendment) Law, 2026, establishing a stronger legal and regulatory framework for electricity generation, transmission and distribution across the state.

The new law establishes the State Electricity Regulatory Commission, which will oversee tariffs, licences, investments, mini-grids, renewable energy and other electricity-related activities in the state.

It also provides for the creation of the State Independent System Operator and State Market Operator to support the development of an efficient and competitive electricity market.

Key provisions of the legislation include compulsory metering, protection of community and privately funded electricity infrastructure, and penalties for the sabotage of power facilities.

The law further establishes the Equipment Standards and Competence Certification Agency to regulate electrical equipment and ensure that professionals operating in the sector meet required standards.

The legislation also strengthens the Ondo State Power Company and provides greater protection and regulatory certainty for investors in electricity generation, distribution, renewable energy and related infrastructure.

According to the state government on its X handle on Thursday, the new legal framework is designed to attract private investment and expand access to reliable electricity across the state.

The government said the law would “attract private investment, expand electricity access, promote renewable energy” and use reliable power supply to drive industrialisation and economic development.

The administration said the establishment of dedicated regulatory and market institutions would create a more structured electricity sector while improving confidence among investors and other stakeholders.

The government also said the provisions protecting electricity infrastructure and imposing penalties for sabotage would help safeguard investments and improve the reliability of power supply.

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With the new law, the state government said Ondo was positioning its electricity sector to support industrial growth, expand economic opportunities and promote sustainable energy development.

Source: punchng.com

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