The Federal Government Monday met with top officials of a global professional services firm, KPMG, to address concerns and disagreements arising from the implementation of Nigeria’s new tax laws.

The meeting, which took place in Abuja, followed intense debate within Nigeria’s business and professional community over the implications of the new tax framework.

KPMG Nigeria, in a report titled “Nigeria’s New Tax Laws: Inherent Errors, Inconsistencies, Gaps and Omissions,” had expressed concerns over some aspects of the laws, including the taxation of shares, dividend treatment, non-resident obligations, and foreign exchange deductions, and warned that these could affect businesses and taxpayers.

It then called for a review of the tax laws, noting that the “errors, inconsistencies, gaps, omissions, and lacunae” urgently required reconsideration.

Following the spotlight on the tax laws by KPMG, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, defended the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA) and clarified the policy intent, stating that KPMG Nigeria did not understand the reform.

However, in an update, the Executive Chairman of the National Revenue Service (NRS), Dr Zacch Adedeji, during the meeting, clarified some areas of concern in the new Act.

While the KPMG team noted that their earlier opinion on the new tax laws had been misconstrued and expressed regret over the misunderstanding, it was said to have sought further clarity on the provisions of the laws and highlighted areas where recommendations could be made.

Both parties acknowledged that differences in interpretation had contributed to confusion among taxpayers and agreed that sustained dialogue was necessary to address emerging issues.


The team also commended the Executive Chairman for the effective and timely implementation of the reforms and noted that their initial apprehensions had been significantly allayed.

“The Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, today received a delegation of top management from KPMG on a courtesy visit. The KPMG executives commended the Executive Chairman for his leadership and the timely implementation of the new tax laws, noting that their initial apprehensions have been significantly allayed.

“They affirmed that the reforms are both necessary and timely, and pledged continued professional engagement in support of effective tax administration and national economic growth,” the NRS said in an update on X.

Nigeria has been ranked 72nd out of 188 countries in the 2025 Government AI Readiness Index, placing it among the top-performing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The annual index published by Oxford Insights assessed 195 governments using 69 indicators across six pillars, including policy capacity, governance, AI infrastructure, public sector adoption, development and diffusion, and resilience.

Oxford Insights AI Readiness Index evaluates how prepared governments are to implement artificial intelligence in public service delivery, using indicators across policy capacity, infrastructure, governance, development, diffusion, and resilience.


How Nigeria Compares Globally And In Africa
Nigeria was ranked fourth within Sub-Saharan Africa, behind only Kenya (65th), South Africa (67th), and Mauritius (71st), making it one of the continent’s strongest performers on the index.

In total, 10 African countries made the global top 100, highlighting gradual but uneven AI progress across the continent.



Top 10 African Countries By Global Ranking
Kenya — 65th
South Africa — 67th
Mauritius — 71st
Nigeria — 72nd
Rwanda — 75th
Ghana — 85th
Morocco — 87th
Algeria — 96th
Senegal — 97th
Tunisia — 99th


What The Report Says About Nigeria
The report described Nigeria as being “amongst the highest ranking countries globally from the continent”, noting that recent policy actions and sectoral investment are beginning to show results.

“Nigeria — amongst the highest ranking countries globally from the continent — just stepped into the top 50 on Development and Diffusion (49th) and performed even better in policy capacity (coming 35th globally) following increased investment in its domestic AI sector, the launch of detailed AI policy documents and a stated intention to enhance efforts for international collaboration.”

This means that while Nigeria’s overall rank is 72nd, it performed significantly better in specific pillars, particularly in Policy Capacity (35th globally) and Development and Diffusion (49th globally).

These scores reflected Nigeria’s growing AI ecosystem, expanding talent pool, and increasing recent government efforts to formalise AI policy.

The report also referenced Nigeria’s move from strategy to implementation, citing the launch of the Nigeria AI Scaling Hub, placing the country among governments beginning to operationalise AI within public systems.

Strengths And Gaps
While Nigeria’s policy and innovation indicators are improving, the report highlighted persistent weaknesses common across the region, including:

* AI infrastructure constraints

* Limited public sector adoption

* Gaps in foundational digital and energy systems

Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole ranks 9th out of nine global regions, with an average score of 28.04, indicating that Nigeria’s performance is strong relative to its peers, but still constrained by regional structural challenges.

Nigeria’s Push For Local AI Capacity
Nigeria’s AI ambitions have also received renewed political backing.

On January 7, 2026, during the 50th Convocation Ceremony of the University of Jos, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, announced the launch of a National AI Centre of Excellence located within the university campus.

According to Tijani, the initiative reflected Nigeria’s determination “not to remain a passive consumer of artificial intelligence technologies or a rule-taker in emerging global AI governance frameworks.”

“AI is built on numbers, and Nigeria has the numbers. We are too big a country not to participate meaningfully in artificial intelligence,” he said.

He added that Nigerian universities must lead research into locally relevant datasets and contextual intelligence, rather than relying solely on imported AI models trained on foreign data.


The Bigger Picture
Overall, the index presented Nigeria as a country with clear AI ambition but uneven execution. While policy design and ecosystem development are advancing, slower public sector adoption remains a critical gap.

As more African countries invest in AI strategies and innovation hubs, the report suggested that Nigeria’s ability to translate policy intent into widespread government use will be key to determining whether it climbs higher in future global AI readiness rankings.

The Ministry of Defence on Monday dismissed reports alleging that it denied Channels Television access to the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day, AFCRD, symposium/lecture series held at the National Defence College, Abuja.

In a statement signed by the Chief Information Officer, Queeneth Iheoma-Hart, the ministry said a media advisory had been circulated ahead of the event, indicating a 10:00 a.m. start.

Iheoma-Hart added that advisory requested media personnel to be seated by 9:30 a.m. to allow for accreditation, security screening and smooth proceedings.


According to her, a Channels TV cameraman, who arrived before the programme commenced, was duly granted access and covered the event without interruption.

“A reporter who arrived after proceedings had begun was denied late entry strictly on security and protocol grounds, as dignitaries were already seated and checks were ongoing,” she said.

Iheoma-Hart faulted what she described as “inaccurate reporting suggesting deliberate exclusion”, stressing that it valued professional media organisations as partners in public information and transparency.

The spokesperson urged media houses to verify facts before broadcast.

She reaffirmed that the ministry would accord utmost respect to all invited media organisations to cover subsequent AFCRD activities, subject to schedules and standard security procedures.