Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on the Federal Government to explain its sudden appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a new revenue collection agent under the Treasury Single Account (TSA), warning that the move threatens national transparency and risks entrenching a dangerous system of political patronage at the heart of the country’s financial architecture.
In a strongly worded statement on Thursday, Atiku accused the government of quietly reintroducing a controversial revenue model that, during the Tinubu administration in Lagos State, allegedly enabled a politically connected firm to operate as a private toll gate over public finances — a system he described as “a revenue cartel that enriched a select few at the expense of millions.”
According to the former Vice President, the appointment of Xpress Payments was neither a routine administrative action nor a technical upgrade. Rather, he said, it is “a deliberate attempt to nationalise an opaque Lagos-style revenue collection template,” one that could effectively place Nigeria’s public financial system under the control of vested private interests.
A Move Made While the Nation Mourns
Atiku also criticised the timing of the announcement, coming as Nigerians grapple with rising insecurity, mass killings, and widespread fear. Introducing such a major financial policy in the middle of a national tragedy, he said, amounted to leadership insensitivity.
“When a nation is grieving, leadership should show empathy and focus on securing lives, not on expanding private revenue pipelines,” he remarked. He argued that instead of addressing escalating violence and insecurity, the Federal Government chose to unveil a policy that has far-reaching implications for the management of public funds.
Questions the Government Must Answer
Atiku insisted that the Federal Government owes Nigerians detailed explanations, especially given the sensitive nature of TSA operations — which were originally designed to eliminate middlemen and improve transparency in public revenue management.
Among the questions he raised are:
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Why was the appointment made quietly and rushed into the public domain without consultation?
Atiku questioned the lack of stakeholder engagement and absence of National Assembly scrutiny in the decision-making process. TSA reforms, he noted, were created to reduce corruption, not facilitate secretive financial arrangements. -
What value does Xpress Payments offer?
He challenged the government to clarify what additional capacity the company brings that existing TSA channels operated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) do not already provide. -
Who stands to benefit?
The former Vice President implied that the decision appears designed to benefit private interests rather than the Nigerian public.
Atiku described the move as “state capture masquerading as digital innovation,” warning that inserting another private intermediary between citizens and government revenue negates the very purpose of the TSA.
Nigeria Does Not Need More Middlemen, Atiku Insists
According to Atiku, the country’s fragile economic climate demands strengthened institutions, greater transparency, and strict public accountability. He argued that involving private proxies in federal revenue processes not only weakens public financial management but also increases the risks of diversion, corruption, and political manipulation.
“What Nigeria needs is transparency, not a new gatekeeper,” he said.
Demands Presented to the Federal Government
Atiku outlined a series of measures he believes are necessary to restore public trust and prevent what he described as an emerging pattern of governance conducted “in the shadows.”
He called for:
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Immediate suspension of the Xpress Payments appointment pending a transparent public inquiry.
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Full disclosure of all contractual terms, beneficiaries, fee structures, and the selection criteria used in appointing the company.
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A comprehensive audit of the Treasury Single Account system to determine whether private entities are being quietly positioned to profit from government revenue.
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New legislation prohibiting the use of private proxies in core revenue collection functions, ensuring that TSA operations remain under the exclusive purview of public institutions.
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A renewed national security focus, arguing that an insecure nation cannot afford financial governance that operates without public visibility or institutional checks.
A Warning Against “Lagos-Style Revenue Cartelisation”
Atiku concluded by warning that attempts to replicate Lagos-style revenue outsourcing at the federal level could have devastating consequences for Nigeria’s already strained economy.
“Nigeria’s public revenues are not political spoils,” he said. “They are the lifeblood of our national survival, especially at a time when insecurity is tearing communities apart.”
He urged the Tinubu administration to abandon the path of “cartelisation” and return to a governance model rooted in constitutionalism, transparency, and respect for due process.
As the controversy grows, economic analysts and civil society groups are expected to weigh in on the implications of placing federal revenue collection in private hands, especially under a TSA system originally designed to eliminate such intermediaries.
