Prepared to take off on a strong footing when it transitions to Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) next month, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, (FIRS) and its French counterpart, Direction Générale des Finances Publiques, on Wednesday, signed a memorandum of understanding on areas of mutual interests and promotion of efficient tax administration.

Speaking at the French Embassy in Abuja where the event took place, FIRS chairman, Zacch Adedeji, who signed for FIRS, said the event reflects a shared commitment to building stronger, more resilient, and more forward-looking tax administrations for the two countries.

Adedeji, in a statement by Dare Adekanmbi, his Special Adviser on Media, listed digital transformation as one of such critical areas where Nigeria can leverage France’s advanced use of technology in compliance management, taxpayer services, and data-driven enforcement.

According to him, France will in return gain “fresh perspectives from Nigeria’s rapid digital expansion, our agile adoption of new tools, and the unique solutions we are developing for a fast-growing, technology-driven population.”

“This two-way exchange is essential as both countries adapt to emerging challenges such as Artificial Intelligence deployment, cybersecurity, and cross-border taxation,” Adedeji said.

Revealing that Nigeria will deliberately engage more with similar global partners, he said the partnership between France and Nigeria will enable the tax institutions to exchange ideas, share innovations, and learn from each other’s experiences.

“Another important aspect is workforce development. While we look forward to learning from France’s well-structured human capital systems, particularly in professional standards, continuous learning, and organizational discipline, we also believe that our experience in managing a young, dynamic and diverse workforce will offer valuable insights to DGFIP.

“Together, we can develop models that strengthen institutional culture, build global competencies, and prepare our respective institutions for the future of public finance administration.

“We also anticipate strong bilateral cooperation in international taxation, exchange of information, transfer pricing, and Base Erosion and Profit Shifting BEPS-related work.

“As economic activities become increasingly borderless, the ability of both our institutions to collaborate, share intelligence, and harmonise approaches will be crucial. This MoU provides exactly the platform we need to deepen that cooperation.

“As Nigeria moves into the era of the Nigerian Revenue Service, we see this partnership as a cornerstone of our transformation, one that will help us build a revenue administration that is modern, trusted, innovative, and globally connected,” the statement quoted Adedeji to have said.

The Southwest Unity Forum has issued a strong warning against what it describes as a reckless and coordinated political witch-hunt targeting the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji.

The Forum stated that the calls for his removal are not only unfounded, but are also driven by individuals threatened by the success of ongoing reforms and desperate to derail Nigeria’s progress for selfish political gain.

According to the Forum, the recent media noise and concocted allegations being circulated are a classic smear tactic — devoid of facts, lacking credibility, and engineered to intimidate a performing public servant into silence.

“It is shameful that individuals who have benefited from Nigeria’s dysfunction are now masquerading as champions of accountability simply because their interests are no longer served,” the statement declared.

The Forum stressed that under Dr. Adedeji’s leadership, FIRS has embarked on bold reforms, strategic enforcement, and aggressive modernization that have already begun to reduce leakages, block revenue wastage, and expand the country’s non-oil tax base. These reforms, it noted, are precisely what certain powerful actors fear, as they threaten entrenched interests.

“The sudden desperation to remove the FIRS Chairman at a time when reforms are gaining traction is not a coincidence — it is sabotage, pure and simple. It is an attempt to drag Nigeria backwards so a few can continue to feed fat on a broken system,” the Forum said.

The group also reminded the public that some civil society organizations that previously peddled false accusations against Dr. Adedeji later recanted and publicly apologized, admitting that their claims were baseless. It insisted that the ongoing agitation follows the same script: manufacture scandal, spread misinformation, damage credibility, and cripple leadership.

Youth groups and civic organizations have similarly dismissed the campaign as a futile blackmail strategy, describing those behind it as “faceless opportunists threatened by competent leadership.”

The Forum emphasized that Nigerians must not tolerate attempts to destabilize crucial national institutions through propaganda, political intimidation or media manipulation.

“National development is not achieved by replacing reformers with puppets. Nigeria needs technocrats who can deliver results, not politicians who specialize in noise-making and blackmail,” it stated.

The group called on the Federal Government to remain unwavering, insisting that accountability must be based on verified evidence — not fabricated petitions, sponsored protests, or media hysteria orchestrated by power brokers.

It noted that any attempt to forcefully remove the FIRS Chairman now would amount to economic sabotage, undermine investor confidence, and send a dangerous message that Nigeria punishes performance and rewards conspiracy.

“The attackers of Dr. Zacch Adedeji are not fighting for the nation; they are fighting for their pockets. Nigeria cannot afford to bend to the whims of those who profit when the system collapses,” the statement added.

The Southwest Unity Forum reaffirmed its total confidence in Dr. Adedeji, describing him as a courageous reformist whose loyalty is to Nigeria, not to cabals or political godfathers.

“We stand firm. We will not allow a handful of desperate power merchants to destabilize our institutions or derail national progress. Nigeria deserves better — and we will defend those who work for the nation, not themselves,” it concluded.

The Campaign for Democracy (CD) has called on Nigerians to disregard what it described as a smear campaign against the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacchaeus Adedeji, following calls by a faceless group demanding that he “step aside.”

In a statement issued on Sunday by the National Secretary of the group, Comrade Olufemi Lawson, the CD described the allegation as baseless, malicious and politically sponsored, insisting that the group behind it does not represent the Arewa community, Nigerian youths or any credible constituency in the country.

According to the organisation, the campaign is being driven by economic saboteurs threatened by the transparency, efficiency and integrity introduced into Nigeria’s tax administration under Dr. Adedeji’s leadership.

The group said the reforms at the FIRS remain one of the most notable achievements of the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that the improved revenue integrity, modernisation of the tax system and enhanced public confidence recorded under Adedeji’s stewardship have strengthened the economy.

The CD maintained that many Nigerians support the ongoing reforms at the FIRS, noting that the work of Dr. Adedeji is critical to the successful repositioning of the nation’s economy and the drive toward financial stability and sustainable growth.

It urged the public to ignore what it termed a “reckless campaign of calumny” and to stand firm in support of the FIRS chairman, warning that vested interests benefiting from corruption and systemic decay are working to undermine Nigeria’s economic transformation.

While expressing its support, the group reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and good governance, stressing that it would continue to monitor the activities of all public office holders, including Dr. Adedeji, to ensure that Nigerians remain the ultimate beneficiaries of government policies.

It concluded by warning that Nigeria must not be dragged backward by desperate interests, insisting that the reforms must continue and that truth must prevail.

The chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, remains focused on the serious job of ensuring the new tax laws bring huge reliefs to ordinary Nigerians and end to multiple taxes for businesses in the new year.

Spokesperson of a group called Guardian of Truth, Mr Clement KOLAWOLE said this in a statement on Saturday.

A lawmaker in league with some civil society organisations had laughably called for the sack of the finance minister and the FIRS chairman over unpaid money owed sundry contractors, despite impressive tax revenue collection performance by the agency.

Kolawole, in the statement made available to newsmen, said the sack call came from misunderstanding of the mandate that set up FIRS.

According to him, FIRS is not involved in payment to contractors working for government as the agency only assesses, collects and accounts for tax revenue due to the federation.

“The fact that FIRS under Adedeji has consistently posted stellar revenue collection performance since assumption of office does not mean the money is warehoused in FIRS.

“The lawmaker of all people should know that about 70 per cent of what is shared monthly at the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) by federal, states and local government councils comes from FIRS.

“It is on record that distributable FAAC has been on upward swing since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in May 2023. This has been widely acknowledged and the President has won praise even from opposition elements for restoring fiscal stability to the country, including the sub-nationals.

“The FIRS chairman is not distracted by such a call and remains determined to ensure Nigerians and businesses fully harness the gains of the new tax laws kicking in January through fair and efficient tax administration,” he said.