The Nigeria Economic Zones Association (NEZA) has praised the Managing Directors of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA) for their call for a ten-year moratorium on the implementation of the National Tax Policy (NTA) within Nigeria’s Free Zones.
Speaking on the development, NEZA’s Executive Secretary, Mr. I.O. Elegbede, described the position of the two regulators as bold, timely and forward-looking, noting that it aligns with concerns earlier expressed by the association in a press release issued on September 1, 2025.
Elegbede warned that the abrupt application of the NTA without a clearly defined transitional framework could be counterproductive, with the potential to trigger capital flight and discourage new investments into the Free Zone scheme.
He explained that the proposed ten-year moratorium would provide a strategic buffer for policy harmonisation, investor engagement, regulatory clarity and the design of a globally competitive incentives framework tailored to the needs of zone-based enterprises.
NEZA urged NEPZA and OGFZA to sustain their collaborative advocacy to safeguard the integrity of the Free Zone scheme, which the association considers critical to Nigeria’s industrialisation and economic diversification efforts.
The association reaffirmed its readiness to work with all relevant authorities to ensure that policy reforms strengthen, rather than weaken, the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of Free Zones in Nigeria.
