Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government over the appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a new revenue-collecting agent under the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy, describing the move as a dangerous attempt to replicate what he termed the “Alpha Beta revenue cartel” model.
In a statement on his social page on Sunday, Atiku said the government must “come clean with Nigerians,” alleging that the quiet introduction of the firm into the TSA structure was not an ordinary administrative action but a replication of a Lagos-era revenue system he claimed placed public funds under the control of a politically connected monopoly.
He argued that the development signalled an effort to “nationalise that same template,” warning that such a model would effectively transform Nigeria “from a republic to a private holding company controlled by a small circle of vested interests.”
Atiku faulted the timing of the decision, insisting that introducing the policy while Nigerians were mourning victims of ongoing insecurity was insensitive. According to him, leadership in moments of national tragedy should demonstrate empathy and prioritise the protection of lives rather than “expanding private revenue pipelines.”
He queried the process leading to the engagement of Xpress Payments, asking why the appointment was “rushed and smuggled into the public space without consultation, stakeholder engagement, or National Assembly oversight.” He also questioned the value the firm would add to existing TSA channels and who stood to benefit from the arrangement.
The former Vice-President dismissed the initiative as “state capture masquerading as digital innovation,” stressing that Nigeria did not need additional intermediaries between citizens and government revenue.
Atiku called for the immediate suspension of the company’s appointment pending a public inquiry. He also demanded full disclosure of contractual terms, beneficiaries, fee structures, and the criteria used in selecting the firm.
He further urged a comprehensive audit of TSA operations to prevent what he described as the creeping privatisation of revenue collection, as well as the establishment of a legal framework prohibiting private proxies from inserting themselves into core government revenue systems.
Atiku also advocated a shift in national priorities, saying that a country under persistent security attacks could not afford “economic governance conducted in the shadows.”
He maintained that public revenues were critical to national survival and should not be treated as political spoils, calling on the government to abandon what he referred to as “Lagos-style revenue cartelisation” and return to transparency, constitutionalism, and public accountability.
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