From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has clarified that the Federal Government has not discarded Remita as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approved payment gateway.
The OAGF explained that Remita would instead be integrated into the Treasury Management and Revenue Assurance System (TMRAS) alongside other eligible Payment Solution Service Providers (PSSPs) for government revenue collection and remittances to enhance liberalisation.
In a statement signed by its Spokesperson, Bawa Mokwa, on Tuesday, the Office said the Treasury Management and Revenue Assurance System (TMRAS) will go live on 4th March 2025.
It said the TMRAS policy was developed in line with the directives of the President and the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to achieve effective treasury revenue assurance and improved budget performance of all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and Federal Government-Owned Enterprises (FGOEs).
According to the OAGF, “The Treasury Management and Revenue Assurance (TMRAS) is designed to coordinate, streamline and manage Federal Government’s revenue collections and payments for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). It will guarantee the liberalisation of government revenue payment processes, enhance revenue collections and would aid efficient, timely analysis of the information regarding such transactions.”
The OAGF explained that, “Remitta is one of the secured channels of revenue payment, but there are many others. The Treasury Management and Revenue Assurance (TMRAS) will now allow these other secure payment platforms to connect. So, it will not be only Remitta, but all the other payments service providers that are licensed by the CBN will be able to operate.”
To allay the fears of revenue payers and the general public, the OAGF clarified that, “Remitta remains the only approved payment gateway for Federal Government payments and revenue collection for at least two months; but the government is working to take over the management of the front-end payment infrastructure and expand the collection system to accommodate other Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) licensed Payment Solution Services Providers (PSSPs).”
The OAGF advised all revenue payers and the general public to continue using Remita and/or visit www.fgntreasury.gov.ng for all payments to the Federal Government.