President Bola Tinubu has publicly commended the Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji, characterising his tenure as reform-focused and transformative for the agency.

According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the administration credits Adedeji with introducing new operational approaches, adopting international best practices, and implementing a broad restructuring of the service. Reported measures include increased automation, system modernisation, and expanded training and upskilling of staff.

The President’s statement describes Adedeji as a technocrat whose work is contributing to changes in public finance management in Nigeria. The reforms are framed as targeting a more efficient, transparent, and technology-driven revenue administration aligned with the government’s wider economic objectives.

The Presidency highlights a reported milestone: the revenue service is said to have met and exceeded its budgetary revenue targets in the third quarter of 2025. This outcome is presented as having strengthened fiscal support for government programmes and contributed to macroeconomic stability and long-term growth prospects.

A central element of the reforms cited by the President is Adedeji’s role in advancing the National Single Window, a federal digital platform intended to streamline import and export processes. The platform integrates multiple agencies and procedures into a single electronic system, with the stated aim of reducing bureaucracy and shortening cargo clearance times at Nigerian ports.

Government data referenced in the statement indicate that the National Single Window has reduced average cargo clearance time from about 21 days to approximately seven days. The initiative is presented as a tool to improve transparency, reduce leakages, and enhance the ease of doing business, with expected positive effects on trade facilitation, investor confidence, and port competitiveness.

The President’s message also outlines Adedeji’s professional background. In the private sector, he previously held a senior role at Procter & Gamble, working in corporate finance, strategy, and operations within a multinational context.

In public service, Adedeji served as Commissioner of Finance in Oyo State, where he was responsible for managing state finances and improving internally generated revenue. He is credited with measures aimed at tightening financial controls and strengthening budget discipline.

He later became Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council, where he was involved in policies to increase local participation in the sugar value chain. His tenure included oversight of the establishment of the National Sugar Institute, designed to build technical capacity, support research, and advance the goal of domestic self-sufficiency in sugar production.

Before his appointment as Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service in September 2023, Adedeji served as Special Adviser to the President on Revenue. In that capacity, he worked on strategies to increase government income, rationalise incentives, and improve coordination among revenue-generating agencies.