Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed concern over the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a new Treasury Single Account (TSA) collecting agent.
He raised the concern in a statement on Sunday, November 23, urging the federal government to come clean with Nigerians.
He likened the appointment to a dangerous resurrection of the Alpha Beta revenue cartel that dominated Lagos State at one time.
“The quiet appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a new TSA collecting agent is not an administrative decision; it is a dangerous resurrection of the Alpha Beta revenue cartel that dominated Lagos State during and after the Tinubu years,” Atiku said.
He asserted that the model created a private toll gate around public revenue and funnelled state funds into the hands of a politically connected monopoly.
“What we are witnessing now is the attempt to nationalise that same template, moving Nigeria from a republic to a private holding company controlled by a small circle of vested interests.
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“To introduce such a policy in the middle of a national tragedy, while Nigerians are mourning loved ones lost to the deepening insecurity crisis, is not only insensitive, it is a deliberate act of governance by stealth,” Atiku stated.
He stressed that when a nation is grieving, leadership should show empathy and focus on securing lives, not on expanding private revenue pipelines.
The latest move raises fundamental questions, he said. “Why was this appointment rushed and smuggled into the public space without consultation, stakeholder engagement, or National Assembly oversight?
“What value does Xpress Payments add that existing TSA channels do not already provide? Who truly benefits from this? Nigeria or an entrenched political network?
“This is not reform. This is state capture masquerading as digital innovation. Let me be clear: Nigeria does not need more middlemen between citizens and their government revenue. What we need is greater transparency, stronger institutions, and a tax system free from political capture,” the former vice president maintained.
The former vice president said he is calling for the immediate suspension of the Xpress Payments appointment pending a public inquiry and full disclosure of the contractual terms, beneficiaries, fee structures, and selection criteria.
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He also called for a comprehensive audit of TSA operations to prevent the creeping privatisation of revenue collection; a legal framework, not executive shortcuts, that prohibits the insertion of private proxies into core government revenue systems; and a national security priority shift, recognising that a country under assault cannot afford economic governance conducted in the shadows.
“Nigeria’s revenues are not political spoils. They are the lifeblood of our national survival, especially at a time when insecurity is tearing communities apart.
“The government must abandon this Lagos-style revenue cartelisation and return to the path of transparency, constitutionalism, and public accountability,” Atiku added.
Pinnacle Daily can report that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) recently appointed Xpress Payment Solutions as one of its collecting agents under the TSA framework.
Its approval means taxpayers using the FIRS TaxPro Max portal can now select Xpress Payments as a channel for remitting taxes to the federal government.
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It also means that users generating a payment reference number (PRN) on the platform will have the option of paying through XpressPay, the company’s online gateway, or at bank branches via its e-Cashier platform.
The appointment covers major statutory payments, including company income tax (CIT), value-added tax (VAT), withholding tax (WHT), and other FIRS-related remittances.
The government had appointed e-Tranzact International Plc as the technical backbone for the FIRS e-invoicing and electronic invoice authentication platform and Remita, operated by SystemSpecs, as a TSA collecting agent.
Remita’s platform has been one of the primary payment rails for federal receipts since the introduction of the Treasury Single Account in 2012.
It was noted that the inclusion of Xpress Payments does not replace Remita’s function; instead, it adds choice for users of the TaxPro Max portal, especially businesses and individuals seeking alternatives to existing channels.
Alex is a business journalist cum data enthusiast with the Pinnacle Daily. He can be reached via ealex@thepinnacleng.com, @ehime_alex on X
