Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has debunked a statement credited to the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, that the Nigerian government has handed a private firm, Xpress Payments, monopoly power over revenue collections under the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
Reacting to Atiku’s remarks, Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the FIRS Executive Chairman, Aderonke Atoyebi, said the claims were far from reality and risked “unnecessarily politicising a purely administrative and technical process.”
According to her, Atiku’s assertions completely misrepresent how the national collection system works.
She explained that the FIRS does not run a single gateway and has never assigned exclusive rights to any company.
Instead, Nigeria’s tax authority operates what she described as a “multi-channel, multi-PSSP system,” pointing to platforms like Quickteller, Remita, Etranzact, Flutterwave and XpressPay as partners in an open, competitive ecosystem geared toward making tax payments smooth and accessible nationwide.
“These PSSPs are part of a transparent and competitive ecosystem designed to make tax payment easier and more efficient for Nigerians nationwide,” the agency stressed.
Atoyebi, further, clarified that Payment Solution Service Providers are not government collection agents, do not earn processing fees or percentage cuts from public revenues, and have no access to funds paid by taxpayers.
Every payment made through the listed platforms, she added, goes straight into the Federation Account—no diversions, no private intermediaries.
She outlined key features of the current framework, including the expansion of approved platforms to promote competition, stronger monitoring tools to improve accountability, and new opportunities for fintech operators to innovate and grow. Onboarding any PSSP, she maintained, follows a transparent, verifiable procedure that gives all operators equal footing.
On the broader issue of ongoing reforms, Atoyebi said the work of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms remains essential to Nigeria’s economic transformation and should not be dragged into political controversies.
“The reform has come to stay and should not be subjected to mischaracterisation for political gain,” she noted.
The FIRS urged political figures—including Atiku—to avoid amplifying misinformation or creating needless tension over routine administrative processes.
Reaffirming its position, the agency said it remains committed to professionalism, transparency, and strengthening the national revenue system in the collective interest of Nigerians.
