Former Vice-President and presidential candidate under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday raised concerns over the recent appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a new Treasury Single Account (TSA) collecting agent, describing the move as a “resurrection” of a private revenue model previously associated with Lagos State.

In a statement shared on X, Atiku argued that the decision, announced quietly, bypassed public consultation, stakeholder engagement, and National Assembly oversight. He warned that the approach risked turning Nigeria’s public revenue system into a mechanism dominated by “a politically connected monopoly.”
“This is not reform. This is state capture masquerading as digital innovation,” Atiku said. He questioned the rationale for introducing the new agent, asking what additional value Xpress Payments provides over existing TSA channels and who ultimately benefits from the arrangement.
Atiku also criticised the timing of the appointment, noting that it coincided with a period of national mourning over insecurity-related losses.
“To introduce such a policy in the middle of a national tragedy, while Nigerians are mourning loved ones lost to the deepening insecurity crisis, is not only insensitive, it is a deliberate act of governance by stealth. When a nation is grieving, leadership should show empathy and focus on securing lives, not on expanding private revenue pipelines,” he said.
The former Vice-President called for the immediate suspension of Xpress Payments’ appointment pending a public inquiry.
He further demanded full disclosure of the contractual terms, beneficiaries, fee structures, and selection criteria, alongside a comprehensive audit of TSA operations to prevent what he described as “creeping privatisation” of revenue collection.

Atiku emphasised the need for legal frameworks rather than executive shortcuts to regulate the involvement of private entities in core government revenue systems.
He wrote, ““I therefore call for the following: Immediate suspension of the Xpress Payments appointment pending a public inquiry; Full disclosure of the contractual terms, beneficiaries, fee structures, and selection criteria; A comprehensive audit of TSA operations to prevent the creeping privatisation of revenue collection; A legal framework, not executive shortcuts, that prohibits the insertion of private proxies into core government revenue systems; A national security priority shift, recognising that a country under assault cannot afford economic governance conducted in the shadows.
“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.
“The government must abandon this Lagos-style revenue cartelisation and return to the path of transparency, constitutionalism, and public accountability.”