No Private Entity Collects FG’s Revenue Exclusively – FIRS
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has noted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s recent comments regarding the appointment of Xpress Payments as one of the channels used in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) revenue collection system.
His assertions are incorrect, misleading, and risk unnecessarily politicising a purely administrative and technical process, the FIRS stated.
For clarity, the FIRS does not operate any exclusive or single-gateway revenue-collection arrangement, and no private entity has been granted a monopoly over government’s revenues.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had called for the suspension of the appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a new Treasury Single Account (TSA) collecting agent.
The opposition leader who accused the Federal Government of attempting to nationalise what he termed as the “Lagos-style revenue cartel” through the appointment also called for enquiries over the appointment.
Atiku in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said the appointment which was made without consultation, represented a dangerous resurrection of the Alpha Beta revenue collecting agency in Lagos State.
The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the last election who recently dumped the party said the “quiet appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a new TSA collecting agent is not an administrative decision, it is a dangerous resurrection of the Alpha Beta revenue cartel that dominated Lagos State during and after the Tinubu years”.
Atiku who said the decision poses a serious threat to national accountability, added that “That model created a private toll gate around public revenue and funnelled state funds into the hands of a politically connected monopoly.
“What we are witnessing now is the attempt to nationalise that same template, moving Nigeria from a republic to a private holding company controlled by a small circle of vested interests.”
The opposition leader also lamented the timing of the appointment, describing it as insensitive and “a deliberate act of governance by stealth introduced while Nigerians were mourning loved ones lost to worsening insecurity across the country.
“When a nation is grieving, leadership should show empathy and focus on securing lives, not on expanding private revenue pipelines,” he said.
The former Vice President wondered why the appointment was “rushed and smuggled into the public space without consultation, stakeholder engagement, or National Assembly oversight.
However, in a statement by Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi, Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the service said it currently utilises a multi-channel, multi-Payment Solution Service Provider (PSSP) collection framework, which includes several long-established platforms.
“These include Quickteller, Remita, Etranzact, Flutterwave, XpressPay. These PSSPs are part of an expanded, transparent, and competitive ecosystem designed to make tax payment easier and more efficient for Nigerians across the country.
“Also, PSSPs are NOT collection agents and DO NOT earn a processing fee per payment, nor a percentage of revenues.
“Crucially, all revenues collected through these channels go directly into the Federation Account, without diversion, intermediaries, or private control. No PSSP has access to, or custody of, government funds.
“We therefore urge Mr. Atiku Abubakar and other political actors to refrain from mischaracterising routine administrative processes for political gain. Nigeria’s tax system is too important to be subjected to misinformation or unnecessary alarm,” the statement read.
The FIRS further stated that it remains fully committed to professionalism, transparency, and the continued strengthening of national revenue systems for the benefit of all Nigerians.