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The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s comments on the appointment of Xpress Payments as one of the channels used in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) revenue collection system, describing his claims as “incorrect” and “misleading.”
In a statement signed by Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi, the Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the Executive Chairman, the Service warned that such misrepresentations risk “unnecessarily politicising a purely administrative and technical process” that has nothing to do with partisan interests.
According to the FIRS, it does not operate any single-gateway or exclusive arrangement for revenue collection, and no private organisation has been handed monopoly control of government funds. Instead, the agency explained that it runs “a multi-channel, multi-Payment Solution Service Provider (PSSP) framework” involving long-established platforms widely used in Nigeria’s financial ecosystem.
The list of approved PSSPs includes Quickteller, Remita, Etranzact, Flutterwave and XpressPay. These firms, the Service noted, operate in an “expanded, transparent, and competitive ecosystem designed to make tax payment easier and more efficient for Nigerians.”
The FIRS emphasised that PSSPs “are NOT collection agents and DO NOT earn a processing fee per payment, nor a percentage of revenues.” It added that all funds paid through these platforms “go directly into the Federation Account, without diversion, intermediaries, or private control,” stressing that no PSSP has access to or custody of government revenues at any point.
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Clarifying how the system works, the agency said the TSA collection framework was deliberately broadened to give taxpayers multiple payment options and prevent the dominance of any single provider. It highlighted improvements in efficiency, accountability, and reporting, all of which have boosted revenue performance.
The statement added that expanding the number of PSSPs has supported innovation, job creation and healthy competition within Nigeria’s fintech sector. It also stressed that onboarding into the system follows “a transparent, open, and verifiable procedure that ensures fairness and equal opportunity.”
On the wider national tax reform effort, the FIRS highlighted that the ongoing restructuring led by the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms is central to modernising the economy. It said the reform is anchored on transparency, efficiency, and broad stakeholder engagement — principles that should not be subjected to political distortions.
“We therefore urge Mr. Atiku Abubakar and other political actors to refrain from mischaracterising routine administrative processes for political gain,” the agency said. “Nigeria’s tax system is too important to be subjected to misinformation or unnecessary alarm.”
The FIRS reaffirmed its commitment to professionalism, transparency, and strengthening national revenue systems for the benefit of all Nigerians.
