PRP rejects FIRS and DGFP agreement on revenue collection

The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has vehemently rejected that signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the French Directorate Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFP) and the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as the official TSA collecting agent of the Federal Government.

In a statement signed by the National Chairman of the PRP, Falalu Bello, OFR, the opposition party expressed serious reservations over the agreement, saying it wholesomely kicks against the unilateral actions of the government.

Bello noted that the signing of the MoU by the FIRS with DGFP is “a reckless act of outsourcing Nigeria’s tax data management to a foreign government” which poses grave threats to the country’s sovereignty, economy, and national security.

The PRP Chairman noted that despite the defense out up by the FIRS to justify the MoU, there are still concerns regarding the agreement which would remain fully valid until the content of the MoU is made public.

“The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) views the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the French Directorate Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFP) on digital transformation and information exchange, as well as the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as the official TSA collecting agent of the Federal Government revenue, with serious reservations and condemns both actions,” Bello said in the statement.

“The signing of an MoU by the FIRS with DGFP is a reckless act of outsourcing Nigeria’s tax data management to a foreign government. It poses grave threats to our sovereignty, economy, and national security.

“Despite the public statement by the FIRS defending the MoU, our concerns and objections regarding the agreement remain fully valid until the content of the MoU is made public. We believe such assurances do not mitigate the inherent risks of relinquishing control over Nigeria’s critical fiscal data to a foreign entity.

“Any nation that cedes control of its tax data to foreign entities risks becoming a puppet in the global financial system. Such dependency erodes Nigeria’s economic independence and undermines our ability to craft policies that serve our people’s interests. No country with a sovereign future willingly subjects its fiscal backbone to external control.

“Foreign-controlled digital systems open the door to mass surveillance, digital exploitation, and potential misuse of sensitive Nigerian data. They expose our citizens and institutions to espionage, digital colonization, and economic sabotage—threatening our national security and integrity.

“Real-time visibility into Nigeria’s thriving sectors and struggling industries gives France, an external power, unwarranted leverage in future trade negotiations, investments, and loan agreements. No self-respecting nation should hand over its tax infrastructure to a foreign power, risking geopolitical blackmail and economic subjugation.

“We view the actions of the APC administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as both retrogressive and neo-colonialist, eroding the sovereignty of the Nigerian state and exposing the financial data of Nigerians and our companies to the worst of colonial powers that Africa has seen—France. We vehemently oppose such a move.

“The full implementation of Nigeria’s tax reforms must remain entirely in Nigerian hands. Foreign entities must have no access to Nigerian tax data, financial transactions, or digital records. Homegrown institutions such as NIBSS, Flutterwave, PayStack, Interswitch, and others should be contracted to develop and manage our tax technology. All foreign-led proposals, including the FIRS-France MoU, must be terminated immediately.

“Equally concerning is the decision of the APC Bola Tinubu administration to appoint Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a Treasury Single Account (TSA) collecting agent by the FIRS.

“This mirrors the resurrection of the dangerous model of the Alpha Beta revenue collection cartel of Lagos State at the national level. On this, there are serious questions to be asked: Firstly, what is wrong with the existing collection system, which has seen increased revenue collection in recent years?

“Secondly, who are the persons behind Xpress Payment Solutions Limited? Thirdly, what percentage of our revenue would Xpress Payment collect for their services?

“And finally, was the appointment of Xpress Payment subjected to an open, competitive tender as required by rules and regulations governing government contracts?

“The National Assembly, elected by the Nigerian people to protect them against abuses and excesses of the executive in a presidential system of government, must urgently pass the necessary data-sovereignty amendments before the new tax law commences operations in January 2026.

“Tax data is the heartbeat of our economy; surrendering it to foreign control endangers our sovereignty and future. The same National Assembly must ask and get satisfactory answers to at least the four questions we raised above regarding the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited. We must never be turned into Lagos State on revenue collection, as that model serves only the interests of the cartel that runs it.

“We also call on every patriotic Nigerian and civil liberty organization to rise and halt these dangerous precedents. Our economic future and national sovereignty depend on our ability to keep our digital and fiscal infrastructure firmly in Nigerian hands. Our national wealth should not and must not be brazenly frittered away by a cartel in the name of revenue collection.

“We must reject any foreign intrusion into our financial systems and recommit to building a self-reliant, resilient economy that serves Nigerians first and foremost. We also must reject being short-changed in the name of revenue collection.”

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