Nigeria’s push to expand non-oil revenue received a major boost from the telecommunications sector in 2025, with MTN Nigeria remitting N878.7 billion in taxes, levies and duties to federal and state authorities, underscoring the growing role of large corporates in financing government expenditure amid ongoing fiscal reforms.
The payment, disclosed in the company’s 2025 Sustainability Report, represented a 15 percent increase from the N764 billion paid in 2024 and a sharp rise from N543.9 billion in 2023, highlighting the scale of the telecom operator’s expanding contribution to public revenue.
The figures come at a time when the Federal Government is intensifying efforts to improve tax collection and reduce dependence on oil earnings, with policymakers increasingly relying on the formal private sector to support public finances.
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MTN Nigeria’s stronger tax contribution also mirrored a dramatic turnaround in its financial performance after the company battled severe foreign exchange losses in recent years. The telecom operator swung from a N399 billion loss to a profit after tax of N1.11 trillion in 2025, supported by robust growth in data demand, digital services and tariff adjustments.
