FIRS Chair Challenges Global Leaders on Combating Cross-Border Economic Crimes

The Chairman of Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, is calling on world leaders to take a more aggressive stance against cross-border economic crimes, which he says are disrupting revenue collection and stunting global economic growth.

Speaking at the 42nd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crimes (CIDOEC), Adedeji warned that these crimes, from tax evasion to illicit financial flows, pose a significant threat to countries’ ability to fund development projects.

“In a global economy where capital can move faster than law enforcement… the fight against cross-border economic crime is, by necessity, both local and global, both urgent and pressing,” Adedeji said.

He noted that modern technology has made it easier for criminals to exploit loopholes and hide assets across international borders, hurting the economies of both their home country and the nations they are manipulating.

Adedeji, who also serves as the Special Adviser on Revenue to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was represented at the event by Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, the Coordinating Director of Proceeds of Crime Management and Illicit Financial Flows. The symposium drew nearly 1,000 participants from over 100 countries, including policymakers, law enforcement officials, and academics.

Nigeria’s Fight Against Fiscal Crimes

Dr. Adedeji highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to reform its financial systems and combat economic crimes. He explained that President Tinubu’s administration inherited a system “under siege” from a range of offenses, including: abuse of the fuel subsidy regime, Illicit financial flows (IFFs), base erosion and profit shifting by multinational corporations and complex trade-based money laundering schemes.

He stated that the administration’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” is aimed at “safeguarding Nigeria’s fiscal sovereignty, expanding domestic resource mobilisation, and preventing financial hemorrhage.” As a result, the government has signed four new tax reform bills into law, signaling an actionable commitment to change.

These reforms are designed to modernize tax laws, improve transparency, and strengthen enforcement, with over 400 specific changes to Nigeria’s tax laws and administration.

Adedeji also announced that the FIRS will soon be rebranded as the Nigeria Revenue Service in January 2026. This change reflects its new mandate as a “fiscal crime prevention and intelligence gathering and sharing organisation.” The agency has launched a technological transformation program, including automated tax data, e-invoicing, and AI-driven anomaly detection to simplify compliance for taxpayers while making evasion more difficult for offenders.

“By applying big data analytics and machine learning, we can now forecast revenues, spot risks, and detect tax evasion patterns before they take root,” Adedeji said. “This makes our tax administration predictive rather than reactive.”