Former Vice President, Mr Atiku Abubakar, has been cautioned by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) against politicising tax administration in the country.
The agency, in a statement issued on Sunday by the Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the chairman of FIRS, Ms Aderonke Atoyebi, criticised Mr Atiku over his comments on the appointment of Xpress Payments as one of the channels used in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) revenue collection system.
Earlier, the former VP frowned at the “quiet appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a new TSA collecting agent,” saying it is “a dangerous resurrection of the Alpha Beta revenue cartel that dominated Lagos State during and after the Tinubu years.”
According to him, “To introduce such a policy in the middle of a national tragedy, while Nigerians are mourning loved ones lost to the deepening insecurity crisis, is not only insensitive, it is a deliberate act of governance by stealth.”
Mr Atiku argued that, “Nigeria does not need more middlemen between citizens and their government revenue. What we need is greater transparency, stronger institutions, and a tax system free from political capture.”
He, therefore, asked the “Immediate suspension of the Xpress Payments appointment pending a public inquiry,” stressing that, “Nigeria’s revenues are not political spoils. They are the lifeblood of our national survival, especially at a time when insecurity is tearing communities apart.”
But in reaction, the FIRS noted that the claims by the former Vice President were “incorrect, misleading, and risk unnecessarily politicising a purely administrative and technical process.”
The agency stated that it “currently utilises a multi-channel, multi-Payment Solution Service Provider (PSSP) collection framework, which includes several long-established platforms,” including Quickteller, Remita, eTranzact, Flutterwave, and XpressPay.
It point out that, “These PSSPs are part of an expanded, transparent, and competitive ecosystem designed to make tax payment easier and more efficient for Nigerians across the country,” emphasising that these organisation “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,” the tax collection agency stated, noting that, “All PSSPs are admitted through a transparent, open, and verifiable procedure that ensures fairness and equal opportunity.”
The FIRS advised the presidential candidate of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections and “other political actors to refrain from mischaracterising routine administrative processes for political gain.”
“Nigeria’s tax system is too important to be subjected to misinformation or unnecessary alarm,” it declared, reaffirming its commitment to “professionalism and transparency.”