President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday called on State Governors to increase spending on grassroots communities, using the local idiom “wet the ground” to press for more generous allocation of funds to improve living standards.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Nigeria Revenue Service’s (NRS) new headquarters in Abuja, the President praised the Governors for their unity but urged them to do more.
“Your Excellencies, you have impressed me so much with your show of unity and solidarity,” he said. “What’s left is ‘wet the ground small,” the President said.
He tasked the NRS—created this year under the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 and Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025 to replace the Federal Inland Revenue Service—with fostering public trust through transparency and accountability. The agency forms part of sweeping fiscal reforms aimed at expanding the tax base, rewarding enterprise, and lifting millions out of poverty.
“You must embody trust and ensure fairness, and demonstrate that government can be accountable, responsive and earn confidence at home and respect abroad,” President Tinubu told NRS Executive Chairman Zacch Adedeji and his team.
The President noted early successes from his administration’s reforms, including economic growth and improved revenue administration.
“Nigeria’s future will not be determined by chance. It will be determined by the choices we all make together,” he said.
“We have chosen reform. We have chosen discipline. We have chosen progress.”
Dr. Adedeji called the event “a milestone in strengthening revenue administration and expanding the tax base while improving service delivery.”
