The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has countered former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s criticism of the inclusion of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited in its Treasury Single Account (TSA) revenue collection system, describing his remarks as “incorrect, misleading, and unnecessarily political.”
In a statement issued by Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi, Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the FIRS Executive Chairman, the agency stressed that Atiku’s claims risk politicising what it termed a routine administrative and technical process.
Atiku had alleged that the firm’s onboarding represented a resurgence of an “Alpha Beta-style” monopoly similar to what he claimed operated in Lagos State during President Bola Tinubu’s tenure as governor.
However, the FIRS rejected the allegation, insisting that no company has been granted exclusive authority over federal revenue collection.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the FIRS does not operate a single-gateway or exclusive collection arrangement,” the statement emphasised. “Our system is a multi-channel, multi-PSSP (Payment Solutions Service Provider) structure involving long-standing platforms such as Quickteller, Remita, Etranzact, Flutterwave, and XpressPay.”
The agency explained that PSSPs do not act as collection agents and do not receive percentage-based fees. Instead, all payments go directly into the Federation Account, ensuring no diversion or private control.
According to the statement, the expanded multi-PSSP model is designed to enhance taxpayer convenience, promote innovation, stimulate fintech industry growth, and prevent the dominance of any single service provider.
The FIRS further highlighted that onboarding PSSPs follows a clear, transparent, and competitive process open to qualified fintech operators. It added that the system improves monitoring, reporting, and overall revenue performance.
Reaffirming its commitment to integrity and professionalism, the agency urged political actors to avoid misrepresenting administrative decisions for partisan purposes.
The FIRS also linked the development to ongoing national tax reforms spearheaded by the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, noting that the reform agenda is anchored on transparency, modernisation, and broad stakeholder engagement.
