Federal Inland Revenue Service Warns Against Politicising Tax Administration, Debunks Atiku’s Claims

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has warned against politicising tax administration in the country, even as it debunked former vice president, Atiku Abubakar’s recent comments regarding the appointment of Xpress Payments as one of the channels used in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) revenue collection system.

The Service said his assertions are incorrect, misleading, and risk unnecessarily politicising a purely administrative and technical process.

For clarity, FIRS stated that it does not operate any exclusive or single-gateway revenue collection arrangement, and that no private entity has been granted a monopoly over government revenues.

Explaining further, FIRS, in a statement, signed its Technical assistant on Broadcast Media to the executive chairman of the Service, Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi, noted that, ” FIRS currently utilises a multi-channel, multi-payment Solution Service Provider (PSSP) collection framework, which includes several long-established platforms. These include: Quickteller, Remita, Etranzact, Flutterwave and XpressPay.

“These PSSPs are part of an expanded, transparent, and competitive ecosystem designed to make tax payment easier and more efficient for Nigerians across the country.”

Saying that, PSSPs are not collection agents and do not earn a processing fee per payment, nor a percentage of revenues, Atoyebi said. Crucially, all revenues collected through these channels go directly into the Federation Account, without diversion, intermediaries, or private control. No PSSP has access to, or custody of, government funds, she assured.

Stating that the TSA Collection Framework opens up the scheme to multiple PSSPs, she added that the system has been deliberately broadened to give taxpayers more options and eliminate the dominance of any single provider.

The TSA, she said, improves efficiency, job creation, and market expansion, even as it maintains a transparent onboarding process.

The ongoing national tax reform, led by the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, the agency said, is a cornerstone of Nigeria’s economic modernisation. “It is grounded in transparency, efficiency, and broad stakeholder engagement. This reform cannot and should not be dragged into partisan controversy.

“We therefore urge Mr Atiku Abubakar and other political actors to refrain from mischaracterising routine administrative processes for political gain. Nigeria’s tax system is too important to be subjected to misinformation or unnecessary alarm.

“The FIRS remains fully committed to professionalism, transparency, and the continued strengthening of national revenue systems for the benefit of all Nigerians,” it pointed out.