Alleged TSA monopoly: You are politicising a purely administrative process - FIRS replies Atiku
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has accused former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar of politicizing a purely administrative process.
The FIRS response comes amidst allegations by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar suggesting that a private firm, Xpress Payments, had been granted exclusive rights in Nigeria’s national revenue-collection system.
In a statement issued by Aderonke Atoyebi, Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the FIRS Executive Chairman, the agency described Atiku’s comments as “incorrect, misleading, and capable of unnecessarily politicising a purely administrative and technical process.”
The service clarified that it does not operate a single-gateway channel for collecting government revenues, noting that no company has monopoly or privileged control over the process.
According to the statement, the FIRS currently uses a multi-channel, multi-Payment Solution Service Provider (PSSP) framework that includes several established platforms such as Quickteller, Remita, Etranzact, Flutterwave and XpressPay.
“These PSSPs are part of a transparent and competitive ecosystem designed to make tax payment easier and more efficient for Nigerians nationwide,” the agency said.
It added that PSSPs are not designated as collection agents and do not earn processing fees or percentages from revenues.
All payments made through the platforms, it stressed, go directly into the Federation Account without diversion, intermediaries or private control.
Atoyebi highlighted key features of the current collection framework, including the deliberate expansion of the system to allow multiple PSSPs, improved monitoring for better accountability, and increased opportunities within the financial-technology sector through innovation and competition.
She noted that the onboarding of PSSPs follows a clear and verifiable process that ensures fairness and equal opportunity for all operators.
The FIRS also emphasised that ongoing national tax reforms under the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms are central to Nigeria’s economic modernisation and should not be dragged into partisan disputes.
“The reform has come to stay and should not be subjected to mischaracterisation for political gain,” the statement read.
The agency urged political actors, including Atiku, to avoid spreading misinformation or raising unnecessary alarm around routine administrative procedures.
Meanwhile, the Former Vice President had alleged that the quiet appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a new collection agent for the Treasury Single Account (TSA) is an attempt to nationalise the Alpha Beta revenue cartel model.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last election characterised the appointment not as an administrative reform, but as state capture masquerading as digital innovation.
Atiku alleged that the engagement of the firm mirrors the controversial revenue collection system used in Lagos State, which he claims created a private toll gate around public revenue and funnelled state funds into the hands of a politically connected monopoly.
“The quiet appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited is a dangerous resurrection of the Alpha Beta revenue cartel that dominated Lagos State during and after the Tinubu years,” Atiku stated.
“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 former Vice President also condemned the timing of the policy, coming amidst a worsening insecurity crisis.
He described the move as insensitive, arguing that while the nation mourns victims of recent tragedies, the government appears focused on expanding private revenue pipelines rather than securing lives.
“To introduce such a policy in the middle of a national tragedy... is not only insensitive, it is a deliberate act of governance by stealth,” he said.
Atiku raised fundamental questions regarding the due process followed in the engagement of the firm.
He queried why the appointment was rushed and smuggled into the public space without recourse to the National Assembly or stakeholder consultation.
“What value does Xpress Payments add that existing TSA channels do not already provide? Who truly benefits from this? Nigeria or an entrenched political network?” he asked.