ATIKU ABUBAKAR CONDEMNS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S SECRET APPOINTMENT OF XPRESS PAYMENTS AS TSA AGENT, WARNING OF REVENUE CARTEL

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a stern condemnation of the Federal Government’s quiet appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a new Treasury Single Account (TSA) collecting agent, labeling it a “dangerous resurrection” of the Alpha Beta revenue cartel that dominated Lagos State during and after the Tinubu years. In a press release, Abubakar asserted that this move is not an administrative decision but an effort to replicate a model that created a private toll gate around public revenue, funneling state funds into a politically connected monopoly.

Abubakar warned that the government is attempting to nationalize this template, effectively transitioning Nigeria from a republic to a private holding company controlled by a small circle of vested interests. He expressed deep concern over the timing of the appointment, noting that it was introduced amid a national tragedy where Nigerians are mourning loved ones lost to deepening insecurity. “When a nation is grieving, leadership should show empathy and focus on securing lives, not on expanding private revenue pipelines,” he stated, calling the move a deliberate act of governance by stealth.

The former Vice President raised critical questions about the lack of transparency in the process, demanding to know why the appointment was rushed and implemented without consultation, stakeholder engagement, or National Assembly oversight. He challenged the value addition of Xpress Payments compared to existing TSA channels and questioned who truly benefits from the arrangement. “This is not reform. This is state capture masquerading as digital innovation,” Abubakar declared.

He called for immediate suspension of the Xpress Payments appointment pending a public inquiry, along with full disclosure of the contractual terms, beneficiaries, fee structures, and selection criteria. Abubakar also urged a comprehensive audit of TSA operations to prevent the creeping privatisation of revenue collection, a legal framework to prohibit private proxies in core government revenue systems, and a shift in national security priorities. “Nigeria’s revenues are not political spoils. They are the lifeblood of our national survival, especially at a time when insecurity is tearing communities apart,” he emphasized.

Abubakar concluded by urging the government to abandon what he termed “Lagos-style revenue cartelisation” and return to the path of transparency, constitutionalism, and public accountability. Atiku Abubakar served as Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007.