Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned the Federal Government’s appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a collecting agent under the Treasury Single Account (TSA). He describes the move as a “dangerous resurrection” of a Lagos-style revenue cartel, warning that it threatens the integrity of Nigeria’s public finances.
Atiku argues that the decision was made quietly and without proper consultation, legislative oversight, or stakeholder engagement. He claims the model mirrors the controversial Alpha Beta system, which he says created a private gate around public funds — funnelling state resources into the hands of a politically connected few.
He also criticizes the timing of the announcement, calling it insensitive, especially in a period of escalating insecurity and national grief. For Atiku, this is not genuine reform, but “state capture masquerading as digital innovation.”
Atiku has called for an immediate suspension of Xpress Payments’ TSA role pending a full public inquiry. He demands the release of all contract terms, beneficiaries, fee structures, and selection criteria — as well as a comprehensive audit of TSA operations and a legal framework to bar private proxies from core government revenue systems.
Meanwhile, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has pushed back on Atiku’s claims, calling them “incorrect and misleading.” The agency insists that it operates a multi-channel revenue collection framework — including platforms like Quickteller, Remita, Etranzact, Flutterwave, and XpressPay — and that no private firm has been granted a monopoly over government revenues.
FIRS further clarifies that these payment service providers (PSSPs) are not “collection agents” in the sense of controlling government funds. According to the agency, all payments processed through them go directly into the Federation Account, and none of the PSSPs access or control government money.
The service added that the broader TSA reform is part of Nigeria’s fiscal-modernisation agenda, structured to be fair, transparent, and competitive — and not a covert attempt to privatise revenue collection.
