Since assuming office on 29 May 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has exercised his executive authority to issue a series of orders and directives spanning fiscal policy, taxation, petroleum sector reform, and local economic development.
These instruments — ranging from tariff adjustments and tax incentives to sweeping revenue transparency mandates — reflect the broad policy priorities of his administration and its efforts to restructure Nigeria’s economic and regulatory environment.
The following is a consolidated list of Executive Orders and Directives issued by President Tinubu from inception to date.
2023
- Finance Act (Effective Date Variation) Order, 2023 — 6 July 2023.
This deferred the commencement date of the Finance Act 2023 from 28 May 2023 to 1 September 2023, to ensure compliance with the minimum of 90 days advance notice for tax changes as contained in the 2017 National Tax Policy. - Customs, Excise Tariff (Variation) Amendment Order, 2023 — 6 July 2023.
This, among other interventions –
• Deferred the commencement date of relevant changes to the Customs and Excise Tariff to 1 August 2023, taking into account concerns raised by manufacturers and other stakeholders.
• Suspended the 5% excise duty on telecom services.
• Suspended the newly introduced “Green Tax” (excise tax) on plastics, including containers.
• Suspended the Import Tax Adjustment (IAT) levy on certain vehicles.
• Suspended the escalated excise duties on locally manufactured products.
2024
- Oil and Gas Companies (Tax Incentives, Exemption, Remission, etc.) Order, 2024 — 28 February 2024.
One of three executive orders signed to improve Nigeria’s investment climate and position the country as Africa’s preferred destination for petroleum sector investment. This order focused on introducing targeted incentives for Nigerian non-associated gas, midstream, and deepwater developments. - Presidential Directive on Reduction of Petroleum Sector Contracting Costs and Timelines, 2024 — 28 February 2024.
One of three executive orders signed to improve Nigeria’s investment climate and position the country as Africa’s preferred destination for petroleum sector investment. This order focused on improving contracting efficiency and the ease of doing business in the sector. - Presidential Directive on Local Content Compliance Requirements, 2024 — 28 February 2024.
One of three executive orders signed to improve Nigeria’s investment climate and position the country as Africa’s preferred destination for petroleum sector investment. This order focused on ensuring that local content obligations in the sector do not undermine cost-competitiveness. - Value Added Tax (Modification) Order, 2024 (Issued by the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy — 01 September 2024)
This Order introduced modifications to the Value Added Tax Act, formalising and extending the suspension of VAT on diesel, and expanding VAT exemption to cover equipment and infrastructure for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and Domestic Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG); Electric Vehicles; and biogas and biofuel equipment and accessories.
2025
- “Nigeria First” (Renewed Hope Nigeria First Policy) Executive Order, 2025 — May 2025: This order directed that Federal Government procurement prioritise local businesses and industries, with the Bureau of Public Procurement given powers to enforce compliance and sanction breaches. Foreign contracts, where unavoidable, must include provisions for technology transfer or local production.
- Upstream Petroleum Operations (Cost Efficiency Incentives) Order, 2025 — May 2025.
This order, in effect until 31 May 2035, introduced performance-based tax incentives (tax credits) for upstream petroleum operators that achieve verifiable cost savings.
2026
- Presidential Executive Order to Safeguard Federation Oil and Gas Revenues and Provide Regulatory Clarity, 2026 — 13 February 2026.
The most sweeping of all the orders issued so far by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; it mandates direct remittance of all oil and gas revenues to the Federation Account. Under the order, NNPC Limited can no longer collect the 30% Frontier Exploration Fund, and is no longer entitled to its 30% management fee on profit oil and profit gas revenues. All operators under production sharing contracts (PSCs) must henceforth pay royalties, tax oil, profit oil, and profit gas directly into the Federation Account.
