The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has rejected the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and France’s Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFiP) on digital transformation and information sharing.
The DGFiP signed the memorandum of understanding on December 10 to enhance efficient public finance and tax administration practices.
Falalu Bello, PRP national chairman, described the agreement as a serious threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty, economy, and national security in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja.
The party also criticised the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a Treasury Single Account (TSA) revenue-collecting agent, warning it could replicate what it described as a “dangerous model” of revenue cartels previously seen in Lagos State.
“The signing of an MoU by the FIRS with DGFiP is a reckless act of outsourcing Nigeria’s tax data management to a foreign government. It poses grave threats to our sovereignty, economy, and national security,” Bello said.
He dismissed assurances from the FIRS that the MoU does not hand over Nigeria’s taxpayer data, insisting that the objections remain until the full content of the agreement is made public.
“Despite the public statement by the FIRS defending the MoU, our concerns and objections regarding the agreement remain fully valid until the content of the MoU is made public. We believe such assurances do not mitigate the inherent risks of relinquishing control over Nigeria’s critical fiscal data to a foreign entity,” he added.
According to the PRP, allowing foreign control over tax data undermines economic independence and policy autonomy, exposing the country to surveillance, data exploitation, and economic sabotage.
“Any nation that cedes control of its tax data to foreign entities risks becoming a puppet in the global financial system. Such dependency erodes Nigeria’s economic independence and undermines our ability to craft policies that serve the interests of our people. No country with a sovereign future willingly subjects its fiscal backbone to external control,” the party said.
Bello argued that access to real-time tax and sectoral data would give France undue leverage in trade, investment, and loan negotiations.
He accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of pursuing a neo-colonialist agenda and called for the immediate termination of the MoU, insisting that Nigeria’s tax reforms be handled strictly by local institutions such as Flutterwave, PayStack, and Interswitch.
On the Xpress Payment Solutions appointment, the PRP questioned transparency, the procurement process, and the cost to the treasury.
“Equally concerning is the decision of the APC Bola Tinubu administration to appoint Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a Treasury Single Account (TSA) collecting agent by the FIRS,” the party said.
Bello urged the National Assembly to enact data-sovereignty safeguards before the new tax regime begins in January 2026 and to investigate the Xpress Payment appointment.
He also called on civil society groups and Nigerians to resist what he described as dangerous precedents.
The PRP’s objections echo growing opposition criticism of the FIRS–France MoU.
ADC DEMANDS FULL DISCLOSURE OF AGREEMENT
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has also demanded full disclosure of the agreement, warning it could compromise Nigeria’s data security and national sovereignty.
Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC spokesperson, said expert reviews raised “overwhelming concern that the agreement potentially endangers Nigeria’s data security and exposes strategic national economic information to foreign exploitation.”
The ADC criticised the FIRS for failing to explain what France stands to gain and for proceeding without public consultation or engagement with the National Assembly.
The party called for the immediate publication or termination of the agreement, a position also supported by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF).
“The details of this closed-door arrangement must be published for all to see, or be terminated,” he added.
FIRS: IT WON’T COMPROMISE NIGERIAN TAXPAYER DATA
The FIRS has defended the MoU, describing it as a standard international cooperation framework focused on advisory support, knowledge sharing, and capacity building without granting France access to Nigerian tax systems or individual taxpayer data.
“The MoU is a standard, globally recognised cooperation framework focused solely on technical assistance and capacity building,” the service said.
“It does not grant France access to Nigerian taxpayers’ data, digital systems, or any element of our operational infrastructure.”
The agency added that the agreement complies with Nigeria’s data protection laws and does not exclude local payment or technology firms.
Regarding Xpress Payment Solutions Limited, the FIRS dismissed claims of monopoly, stating it operates a multi-channel revenue collection framework.
In a statement signed by Aderonke Atoyebi, technical assistant on broadcast media to the executive chairman, the agency said it works with Quickteller, Remita, Etranzact, Flutterwave, and XpressPay, stressing that no single private entity controls government revenue collection.
Despite the clarifications, opposition parties insist that issues of transparency, data sovereignty, and procurement integrity remain unresolved and require urgent legislative oversight.