…Atiku demands agent’s role suspended for scrutiny
Nigeria’s fiscal space was thrown into turmoil on Friday after the Federal Inland Revenue Service, (FIRS), quietly named Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a new Treasury Single Account (TSA) collecting agent – a move that immediately sparked political uproar, public concern, and accusations of a creeping revenue cartel.
The tax agency confirmed that Xpress Payments has been integrated into the TaxPro Max portal, allowing taxpayers to remit CIT, VAT, WHT and other statutory payments through the XpressPay platform, or via partner banks using the e-Cashier service.
FIRS said the addition is part of its ongoing digital modernisation and simply offers “more options” alongside existing players such as Remita, which has powered the TSA system for over a decade.
But many Nigerians – including a prominent political figure – are unconvinced. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar issued a blistering statement condemning what he called the “stealthy” insertion of a politically connected private firm into the heart of Nigeria’s revenue architecture.
Atiku warned that the development mirrors the controversial Alpha Beta model used in Lagos, which he described as a “private toll gate” around public funds.
“This is state capture disguised as digital innovation. What we are witnessing is the attempt to nationalise the Lagos-style revenue cartel”, he said.
Atiku said the timing was particularly insensitive, noting that Nigerians are grieving victims of worsening insecurity.“When a nation is mourning, leadership should show empathy — not expand private revenue pipelines”, he stated.
The former VP demanded answers on: Why the appointment was made quietly, without consultation or legislative oversight; What value Xpress Payments brings that existing TSA channels lack; ‘Who truly benefits: the nation or a “politically entrenched network” ‘.
Atiku insisted that this is not reform but “governance by stealth”, adding that Nigeria does not need more private intermediaries between citizens and the treasury.
Atiku outlined a 5-point demand for transparency and accountability: ‘Immediate suspension of the Xpress Payments approval’; ‘Full disclosure of contract terms, fee structures and beneficiaries’; ‘Comprehensive audit of TSA operations to prevent revenue capture’.
Others are: ‘A legal framework to stop private proxies from controlling public funds’, and ‘A shift in national priorities from revenue experiments to national security’.
He warned that “Nigeria’s revenues are not political spoils. They are the lifeblood of our national survival”.
