The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has rejected the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the French government on digital transformation and information exchange.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, PRP National Chairman Falalu Bello described the agreement as a serious threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty, economy, and national security.
The opposition party also criticised the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a Treasury Single Account (TSA) revenue-collecting agent, warning that the move could replicate what it termed the “dangerous model” of revenue cartels previously seen in Lagos State.
“The signing of an MoU by the FIRS with DGFP 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 agreement does not compromise Nigeria’s taxpayer data, insisting that PRP’s objections would remain until the full content of the MoU is publicly disclosed.
“Despite the FIRS defending the MoU, our concerns remain fully valid until the details are made public. Such assurances do not reduce the inherent risks of handing control of Nigeria’s critical fiscal data to a foreign entity.”
“Any nation that relinquishes control of its tax data to foreign entities risks becoming a puppet in the global financial system.
“Such dependence erodes Nigeria’s economic independence and weakens our ability to develop policies that benefit our people. No sovereign nation willingly subjects its fiscal backbone to external control,” the party stated.
Bello further cautioned that granting France access to real-time tax and sectoral data could give it undue leverage in future trade, investment, and loan negotiations.
Accusing the Tinubu administration of pursuing a neo-colonialist agenda, the PRP called for the immediate termination of the MoU and insisted that Nigeria’s tax reforms should be managed by local institutions such as Flutterwave, PayStack, and Interswitch.
On the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a TSA collecting agent, the PRP questioned the transparency, procurement process, and cost implications for the treasury.
“Equally concerning is the decision of the APC-led administration to appoint Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a TSA collecting agent,” the party said.