NCS Faults FIRS-France MoU, Insists on National Data Sovereignty Policy

Emma Okonji

The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), which represents the technical, professional, and ethical standards of the Nigerian ICT community, has faulted the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the France authority, aimed at strengthening digital tax administration and institutional capacity of the FIRS.   

According to NCS, such arrangements may undermine Nigeria’s economic sovereignty, risk foreign access to critical data, and position Nigeria in a vulnerable digital dependence posture.

NCS therefore called for the establishment of a National Data Sovereignty Policy, that would enable government to prioritise a comprehensive national data sovereignty framework that clarifies conditions for cross-border data sharing, regulates foreign entities’ access to public sector data, and sets protocols for data audit trails, encryption standards, and sovereignty preservers.

FIRS had on December 10, 2025, signed MoU with France’s tax authority, the Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFiP), to strengthen its digital tax administration, technical cooperation, and institutional capacity.

The FIRS–France MoU aims to promote efficient tax administration, digital transformation, and sharing of institutional knowledge between Nigeria and France. The collaboration was framed by FIRS as focusing on technical assistance, capacity building, and advisory support, without granting France access to Nigerian taxpayer data, systems, or infrastructure.

Joining other Nigerians to react to such MoU, NCS, at the weekend, issued a statement signed by its President, Dr. Muhammad Sirajo Aliyu, faulting the signed MoU.