The Federal Inland Revenue Service has issued a strong response to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, dismissing his recent comments about Nigeria's revenue collection system as inaccurate and misleading.
FIRS Clarifies Tax Collection Framework
In a statement released on 23 November 2025 by Aderonke Atoyebi, Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the FIRS Executive Chairman, the service emphasized that no single company holds exclusive rights over national revenue channels. Atoyebi described Atiku's remarks as capable of politicizing what should remain a purely technical procedure.
The FIRS clarified that it operates a multi-channel, multi-Payment Solution Service Provider framework that includes several established platforms working simultaneously. These platforms form a competitive ecosystem designed to make tax payments more accessible and efficient for Nigerians.
Multiple Platforms Ensure Fair Competition
According to the FIRS statement, the current system includes multiple Payment Solution Service Providers such as Quickteller, Remita, Etranzact, Flutterwave, and XpressPay. The service stressed that these PSSPs are not collection agents and do not earn percentages from tax revenues.
All revenues go directly into the Federation Account without any diversion or private custody, ensuring complete transparency in the collection process. The PSSPs cannot access or control government funds at any point in the transaction cycle.
Key Features of FIRS Collection System
The revenue service outlined several important features of its current framework that ensure efficiency and transparency:
- Multiple PSSPs for flexibility: The system has been expanded to prevent dominance by any single provider
- Improved efficiency: Streamlined monitoring and reporting have enhanced accountability and performance
- Support for innovation and jobs: Opening the system to more providers strengthens Nigeria's fintech ecosystem
- Transparent onboarding: All Payment Solution Service Providers are approved through a fair and verifiable process
Tax Reforms Should Remain Non-Partisan
Atoyebi connected the clarification to the ongoing national tax reforms led by the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms. She described these reforms as crucial for Nigeria's economic modernization and emphasized that they should not become subjects of partisan controversy.
The FIRS urged Atiku Abubakar and other political figures to avoid spreading information that could create public confusion about Nigeria's tax administration. Nigeria's tax system is too important to be subjected to misinformation or unnecessary alarm, the statement concluded, reaffirming the agency's commitment to professionalism and transparency in all its operations.
