- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s claim of plot to monopolise revenue collection with the appointment of Xpress Payments as revenue collecting agent.
NPO Reported that Atiku had yesterday raised alarm over the Federal Government’s appointment of the firm which he labelled a resurrection of the Alpha Beta revenue cartel that dominated Lagos State during and after President Bola Tinubu’s years as the state governor.
Atiku accused Tinubu of moving Nigeria from a republic to a private holding company controlled by a small circle of vested interests.
He declared the appointment of Xpress Payment as a national tragedy, describing it as a private toll gate around public revenue aimed at allegedly funnelling state funds into the hands of a politically connected monopoly.
Reacting to the allegation in a statement issued on Sunday, Aderonke Atoyebi, the Technical Assistant to FIRS Executive Chairman, Dr. Zaach Adedeji, labelled Atiku’s comments as “incorrect and misleading”.
Atoyebi described Atiku’s allegation as an unnecessary politicisation of a purely administrative and technical process.
She clarified that the FIRS does not offer exclusive operation or a single way for revenue collection.
“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 revenues.
“The facts are as follows: The FIRS 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, and XpressPay.
“These PSSPs form part of an expanded, transparent, and competitive ecosystem designed to make tax payment easier and more efficient for Nigerians nationwide,” Atoyebi said.
Th FIRS Chairman’s aide further noted that 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,” she added.