The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has rejected allegations by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that the Federal Government gave Xpress Payments undue monopoly over federal revenue collection.
Atiku had accused the government of favouring the company and handing it exclusive control of payment channels, an allegation FIRS says is misleading and politically charged.
Reacting in a statement on Sunday, Aderonke Atoyebi, Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the FIRS Chairman, said Atiku’s comments misrepresented how Nigeria’s tax payment system works.
“His assertions are incorrect, misleading and risk politicising what is strictly an administrative and technical process,” Atoyebi said.
She stressed further that FIRS does not operate a single-gateway system, nor has it granted any private firm exclusive rights to collect government revenue.
According to Atoyebi, the service currently works with several Payment Solution Service Providers (PSSPs), including Quickteller, Remita, Etranzact, Flutterwave and XpressPay
These platforms, she explained, were onboarded to make tax payment easier and more accessible.
Atoyebi emphasised that PSSPs do not collect or keep government money, nor do they receive a percentage of revenue.
“All payments go directly into the Federation Account. No PSSP has custody of government funds,” Atoyebi stated.
She added that the system is deliberately designed to prevent any platform from dominating, while also enhancing transparency and encouraging innovation in Nigeria’s fintech space.
The FIRS insisted that the selection of payment service providers follows a fair and competitive process.
Atoyebi argued that Atiku’s claims were unnecessary, especially at a time when Nigeria is undergoing major tax reforms aimed at modernising the economy.
“The ongoing national tax reform should not be dragged into partisan controversy. This reform has come to stay,” she said.
Atiku, a strong critic of the administration, had claimed that Xpress Payments allegedly linked to political associates was favoured in a manner that could weaken public trust and centralise sensitive fiscal functions in private hands.
The agency maintained that its processes remain professional and transparent, urging political actors to avoid framing routine administrative matters as political manoeuvres.
According to FIRS statement “The tax administration system is too important to be subjected to misinformation or unnecessary alarm”.
Xpress Payment Solutions was officially announced as an approved payment agent under the Treasury Single Account (TSA) on November 19, 2025.
Its addition means taxpayers using the FIRS TaxPro Max platform can now select XpressPay as one of several payment options when generating their Payment Reference Numbers.
Advertisement
