In a letter addressed to the Executive Chairman of FIRS at its headquarters in Abuja and seen by SaharaReporters on Saturday, ICADAR demanded that the revenue agency make available specific documents and information relating to its tax agreement with France within seven working days from the receipt of the request, as required by law.
The Impacthive Centre for Accountability, Democracy and Rights (ICADAR) has formally given the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) a seven-day ultimatum to disclose details of key agreements and appointments, invoking the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.
In a letter addressed to the Executive Chairman of FIRS at its headquarters in Abuja and seen by SaharaReporters on Saturday, ICADAR demanded that the revenue agency make available specific documents and information relating to its tax agreement with France within seven working days from the receipt of the request, as required by law.
The letter was signed by the organisation’s Executive Director, Dr. Bello Ishaq.
The letter noted that the demand is expected to draw public attention to issues surrounding international cooperation agreements and revenue collection processes within Nigeria’s tax system.
The organisation, in the letter, stated that its request was made “in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act,” stressing that timely compliance was mandatory. Among the information sought is “a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently signed between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the French tax authority, Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFiP).”
ICADAR also requested full disclosure on the engagement of a private firm involved in revenue collection.
Specifically, the group asked for “the procedure followed in the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a Treasury Single Account (TSA) collecting agent.”
It further demanded transparency on the ownership structure of the company and its financial entitlements, requesting “information on the persons behind Xpress Payment Solutions Limited and the percentage of our revenue that Xpress Payment Solutions Limited is authorised to collect for their services.”
The advocacy group emphasised that the information must be released within the legally stipulated timeframe, reminding FIRS of its obligations under the FOI Act.
In the letter, ICADAR clearly stated: “Please furnish us with the requested information within the stipulated period as mandated by the Act.”
Earlier, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) expressed strong opposition to the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the French Directorate Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFP), as well as the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a Treasury Single Account (TSA) collecting agent for the Federal Government.
In a statement signed by its National Chairman, Falalu Bello, the party described both actions as “reckless” and a threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty, economy, and national security.
The PRP also said the FIRS-DGFP MoU, which focuses on digital transformation and information exchange, amounted to outsourcing Nigeria’s tax data management to a foreign government.
“Despite the public statement by the FIRS defending the MoU, our concerns and objections regarding the agreement remain fully valid until the content of the MoU is made public,” the statement read.
“We believe such assurances do not mitigate the inherent risks of relinquishing control over Nigeria’s critical fiscal data to a foreign entity.