Zacch Adejeji: Nigeria and France Chart a New Path for Trust in Tax Reform, by Arabinrin Aderonke
We are in the 21st century, and the way technology, commerce, and governance are evolving demands institutions that are agile, ambitious, and globally aware. Nigeria, our beloved country, is beginning to show that it can meet these demands. Among its institutions, the Federal Inland Revenue Service has taken many steps to reach global standards. The initiatives over the past two years reflect an intentional march toward a modern, efficient, and connected revenue administration.
The latest development in this ongoing transformation came this week, when FIRS and France’s Direction Générale des Finances Publiques signed a memorandum of understanding at the French Embassy in Abuja. The agreement was formalized by Dr. Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman of FIRS, and French Ambassador Marc Fonbaustier. It establishes a framework for collaboration between the two agencies, focusing on strengthening tax administration, advancing digital processes, and building institutional capacity. For Nigeria, this partnership shows a commitment to learning from international experience while tailoring solutions to our context.
What does it mean when a Nigerian agency sits across the table from a French institution to discuss taxes, digital systems, and public administration? Nigeria is demonstrating that it wants a system that does more than collect. It wants one that works, earns trust, and makes citizens feel their contributions matter. France brings decades of experience from a different context. Together, they are exploring what is possible when ideas meet practice and local realities meet global experience.
As we have seen, the Tax Boss is committed to purposeful transformation of the agency. Dr. Zacch believes it is about how work is done, not just what is done. This MoU is a conscious effort to see what works elsewhere and ask how it can fit Nigeria. It is a tool, a conversation starter, a way to test ideas while keeping Nigeria’s realities in view. There is no fixed blueprint, only the work of learning, adapting, and shaping systems that can genuinely serve the people.
Dr. Zacch has been leveraging technology in practical ways. For him, it is not just about having digital tools, but about how they are applied, how staff are trained, and how citizens experience the system. FIRS is exploring ways to make digital tools functional rather than ornamental. Faster processing, clearer communication, and better compliance are steps that can change the way the country approaches revenue, accountability, and governance.
People are just as important as technology. The MoU provides an opportunity for FIRS staff to see how a mature agency like France’s DGFiP develops professional standards, trains its employees, and manages a disciplined workforce.
At the same time, Nigeria offers lessons of its own: how to run a young, energetic workforce that adapts quickly and finds solutions even when resources are limited. Both agencies stand to learn from each other, strengthening the culture and capability of the workforce while preparing for the future of public finance administration.
Cross-border taxation, transfer pricing, and exchange of information are no longer optional. Economic activity moves fast and across borders, and Nigeria cannot operate in isolation. The MoU provides a framework to coordinate approaches, share information, and adopt international best practices where they make sense for Nigeria. It is a way to protect national interests while participating confidently in global discussions.
This partnership is not about Nigeria being “behind” or France being “ahead.” It is about conversation, experimentation, and shared curiosity. It is about asking hard questions: Can we make tax systems simple enough that people trust them? Can technology and human skill work together so that paying taxes feels like a shared responsibility, not a punishment? Can an agency learn from another without losing its own identity?
One thing we cannot take away from Dr. Zacch is that he has not waited for systems to be perfect before acting. He meets with global partners, yes, but he also walks the halls of FIRS, watches how processes unfold, and asks the questions most government officials overlook: Is this working? Is it fair? That attention to detail, that insistence on practical results, is what makes his leadership different from others.
His work leaves a good mark, and Nigerians feel the system is working for them. This is another move towards something good, we can’t help but acknowledge that.
_Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi is the Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service_