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The Peoples Redemption Party has strongly rejected the recent Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Federal Inland Revenue Service and France’s Directorate Générale des Finances Publiques on digital transformation and information exchange, describing the agreement as dangerous and unacceptable.
The party also condemned the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as the official Treasury Single Account collecting agent of the Federal Government, warning that both actions pose serious threats to Nigeria’s sovereignty, economy and national security.
In a statement signed by its National Chairman, Falalu Bello, OFR, the PRP said the decision by the FIRS to enter into an MoU with a foreign government amounted to a reckless outsourcing of Nigeria’s tax data management.
According to the party, surrendering control of sensitive fiscal information to an external power undermines Nigeria’s independence and exposes the country to grave risks, including economic manipulation and security breaches.
The party dismissed assurances by the FIRS in defence of the agreement, insisting that its objections would remain valid until the full contents of the MoU are made public. It maintained that no explanation could sufficiently address the inherent dangers of relinquishing access to Nigeria’s critical tax data, which it described as the backbone of the nation’s economy.
The PRP warned that allowing foreign-controlled digital systems to manage Nigeria’s tax infrastructure could open the door to mass surveillance, digital exploitation and misuse of sensitive data belonging to citizens and institutions.
PRP argued that real-time access to information on Nigeria’s economic sectors would give France undue advantage in future trade talks, investments and loan negotiations, exposing the country to geopolitical pressure and economic subjugation.
Describing the move as retrogressive and neo-colonialist, the party accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of eroding Nigeria’s sovereignty and exposing the financial data of Nigerians to what it termed one of the harshest colonial powers Africa has known. The PRP said it would vehemently oppose any policy that places Nigeria’s fiscal destiny in foreign hands.
The party stressed that the implementation of tax reforms must remain strictly under Nigerian control and called for the termination of all foreign-led proposals related to Nigeria’s tax infrastructure, including the FIRS–France MoU.
The pary also argued that local institutions and indigenous technology firms are fully capable of developing and managing the nation’s tax systems without exposing sensitive data to foreign interests.
Equally troubling, according to the PRP, is the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a TSA collecting agent by the FIRS. The party likened the decision to a revival of the controversial Alpha Beta revenue collection model previously associated with Lagos State, warning that such arrangements serve the interests of cartels rather than the Nigerian people. It raised concerns over the necessity of the new appointment, the ownership of the company, the cost of its services to public revenue and whether due process was followed in selecting it.
The PRP called on the National Assembly to urgently enact data-sovereignty protections before the commencement of the new tax law in January 2026. It urged lawmakers to thoroughly investigate the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited and demand clear answers from the executive, insisting that Nigeria must not adopt a revenue collection model that prioritizes private interests over national welfare.
The party also appealed to patriotic Nigerians and civil society organizations to resist what it described as dangerous precedents capable of mortgaging the country’s economic future.
The PRP warned that Nigeria’s national wealth must not be squandered under the guise of revenue collection and reaffirmed its call for a self-reliant and resilient economy that serves Nigerians first.
Reiterating its position, the party declared that Nigeria must reject all forms of foreign intrusion into its financial systems and resist any arrangement that short-changes the nation in the name of reform. The statement concluded with a call for the preservation of Nigeria’s sovereignty and economic independence, declaring unwavering commitment to protecting the country’s fiscal future.
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