The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has rejected allegations by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that a private company has been handed control of Nigeria’s national revenue-collection system.
The agency said the accusation is baseless and risks stirring political tension over an issue it considers routine and technical.
Aderonke Atoyebi, technical assistant on Broadcast Media to the FIRS Chairman, issued the agency’s response, saying the former Vice President’s comments distort how government tax channels actually work.
She insisted there is no exclusive gateway and no company has been placed above others in the revenue-collection chain.
“The comments by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are incorrect, misleading, and capable of unnecessarily politicising a purely administrative and technical process,” she said.
The tax authority explained that Nigeria currently operates a broad network of Payment Solution Service Providers. Quickteller, Remita, Etranzact, Flutterwave and XpressPay all run simultaneously, and the system, according to the FIRS, is designed to prevent any single operator from dominating.
The agency repeated the same point in stronger terms: “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.”
Why XpressPayments Entered the Picture
Xpress Payment Solutions Limited was recently listed as a collecting agent under the Treasury Single Account framework, allowing taxpayers to choose its platform, just as they would choose any other, when remitting statutory taxes.
The FIRS stressed that this does not elevate the company above others, nor does it give it access to government funds.
Atiku Abubakar had argued that this resembles what he called a “Lagos-style revenue cartel”, warning that placing revenue channels in the hands of any politically aligned private operator could undermine public trust.
He said the decision was made quietly and described the arrangement as state capture masked as innovation.
FIRS Counters Monopoly Claims
The agency dismissed those issues, insisting that PSSPs neither collect revenue nor keep a share of funds. All payments, it said, land directly in the Federation Account without being touched or held by any intermediary.
It reinforced this point again: “All payments made through the platforms go directly into the Federation Account without diversion, intermediaries, or private control.”
The FIRS also noted that recent reforms deliberately opened the space for more providers, not fewer. The intention, it said, is to expand access, increase oversight, and push financial-technology firms to innovate through competition rather than state preference.
Transparency and Reform at the Centre
Responding to Atiku’s claim of the wider process, Atoyebi said the onboarding of service providers is conducted through a transparent and verifiable procedure. She added that national tax reforms must not be reduced to political talking points.
“The reform has come to stay and should not be subjected to mischaracterisation for political gain.”
The agency then urged politicians to avoid framing operational decisions as partisan manoeuvres: “We therefore urge Mr Atiku Abubakar 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.”
A Continuing Disagreement
Atiku, who has repeatedly criticised the administration’s revenue and economic policies, maintains that placing XpressPayments in a sensitive role weakens institutional safeguards. The FIRS insists the system remains professional, transparent, and insulated from private influence.
