Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a new collecting agent under the Treasury Single Account (TSA) framework of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The former vice president described the move as a dangerous attempt to revive the Alpha Beta-style revenue model, which, he said, operated in Lagos during President Bola Tinubu’s tenure.
In a statement released on X, Atiku alleged that the appointment amounted to the ‘resurrection of a revenue cartel’, similar to Alpha Beta, which he said created a monopoly that funnelled public funds into private hands.
He warned that the development signalled an attempt to ‘nationalise’ a template that places private intermediaries between government revenue and the state, thereby undermining transparency and public accountability.
Atiku accused the Federal Government of taking the decision ‘quietly’, without public consultation, legislative oversight, or stakeholder engagement.
He questioned the haste behind the appointment and demanded clarification on what value Xpress Payments would add to existing TSA channels.
According to him, the opacity surrounding the process raises concerns about whose interests the decision truly serves.
He argued that the timing of the policy was insensitive, noting that it came at a moment when the country was grappling with escalating insecurity and widespread public grief.
Atiku said governance at a time of national tragedy should prioritise empathy and security, not what he described as ‘expanding private revenue pipelines’.
The former vice president said the appointment represented ‘state capture masquerading as digital innovation’ adding that Nigeria did not need additional private intermediaries in its revenue system. Instead, he called for strengthened institutions, improved transparency and a tax structure free from political influence.
Atiku demanded the immediate suspension of the Xpress Payments appointment pending a public inquiry. He also called for full disclosure of contractual terms, beneficiaries, fee structures and selection criteria associated with the engagement.
Additionally, he urged a comprehensive audit of TSA operations to prevent the ‘creeping privatisation of revenue collection’.
He advocated establishing a legal framework explicitly prohibiting the use of private proxies in the core functions of government revenue administration, insisting that executive shortcuts undermine democratic accountability.
Atiku linked the issue to national security, arguing that economic governance should not be conducted ‘in the shadows’, when insecurity is tearing communities apart.
He urged the Federal Government to abandon what he called ‘Lagos-style revenue cartelisation’ and return to constitutionalism, transparency and public accountability.
