It is no longer news that Nigeria is currently facing the highest form of insecurity since it came together in what many call an unholy matrimony.
Since the Nigerian Civil War where an unprecedented number of people were massacred, starved to death, and ultimately displaced, the vast majority of whom were Igbo civilians, the country has not experienced anything close to what it is currently facing under the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Recall that in the space of two weeks, a one-star General of the Nigerian Army was killed under circumstances that are questionable in nature. Bandits have kidnapped more than three hundred schoolgirls in different states combined, kidnapped church worshippers during a service that was being streamed live after killing a few, and have been bold enough to dare the government of President Tinubu to “do their worst,” as their most notorious sympathizer, Sheikh Gumi, keeps advocating that the terrorists and bandits are the oppressed, despite being the aggressors.
A few days ago, as Nigerians and Christians celebrated the release of worshippers who were kidnapped in a CAC church in Kwara State, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) appointed a private company called Xpress Payments Solutions Limited to aid FIRS in the collection of revenue and it is not hidden fact that such companies usually receive certain commissions from revenues collected as did the company that handled the Lagos State revenue collection.
All of this happened quietly while Nigerians were in agony due to consistent and systematic terror attacks, leaving people wondering what could be the true motive behind the hurried appointment considering that the President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, recently alleged that he was more worried about the kidnap of the school girls than anyone else. To now quietly sanction the inclusion of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as one of the Federal revenue collectors under the FIRS reeks of dishonesty.
This news came to light via the X-page of former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. His statement read: “The Federal Government must come clean with Nigerians. The quiet appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a new TSA collecting agent is not an administrative decision; it is a dangerous resurrection of the Alpha Beta revenue cartel that dominated Lagos State during and after the Tinubu years. That model created a private toll gate around public revenue and funnelled state funds into the hands of a politically connected monopoly.”
Take note that while it is lawful for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to appoint a private revenue collector to aid its agency in collecting revenue, the timing of the appointment is quite questionable.
In the statement of the ex-President Atiku, he mentioned Alpha Beta, calling it a cartel.
For those who do not know, Alpha Beta Consulting LLC (ABC) was dominant in the collection of revenue while the current President of Nigeria was serving as Governor of Lagos State from 1999–2007. After his tenure, they were given certain commissions from the revenue collected as payment for their services.
This same ABC was alleged to be controlled by the former governor and current President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, according to Dapo Apara, an ex-MD of the company.
Mr. Apara alleged in 2020 that the former Governor of Lagos State is the real owner of Alpha Beta Consulting LLC, in a story released by THISDAYLIVE on October 9, 2020. The story reveals that the ex-MD of Alpha Beta Consulting LLC dragged the company to court: “The claimant avers that, following the agreement alluded to above, Alpha Beta Consulting Limited was incorporated in 2002 with the following shareholders: Dapo Apara (30 per cent), Olumide Ogunmola (40 per cent), and Adegboyega Oyetola (30 per cent).”
He said: “Tinubu later directed that Oyetola’s shares be transferred to one Tunde Badejo.”
Apara stated that Tinubu controlled the company, which was receiving 10 per cent of tax collected on behalf of the state. He said that due to the technological innovation deployed by him, the Internally Generated Revenue of the state grew from N10 billion per annum in 2002 to N300 billion in 2019.
The claimant stated that in 2010 or thereabout, Tinubu directed that the incorporation structure of Alpha Beta Consulting Limited be changed from a limited liability company to a limited liability partnership under a newly promulgated law in Lagos State. He said the aim of the move was to shield Tinubu’s involvement from public scrutiny.
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Olumide Ogunmola was named the managing partner of the newly transformed company, while Apara became deputy managing partner.
The claimant said that in 2014, Tinubu asked Ogunmola to step aside while he (Apara) was named managing partner. Apara said that as head of the company, he began looking into its finances and made many startling discoveries, such as mysterious transfers of over N20 billion in different currencies to several companies.
The former leader of Alpha Beta went on to say that he realized all the payments were sanctioned by partners nominated by Tinubu and were done without his knowledge, contrary to the terms of their partnership. (Visit THISDAYLIVE for more information.)
As expected, the FIRS has come out to play down Atiku’s comments through Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi, the Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the Executive Chairman of FIRS, claiming that it has not “operated a single gateway arrangement, and no private company has been granted monopoly over government revenue collection,” stating that the comments by ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar are politically motivated and highly misleading, as captured in The Nation newspaper.
No one is accusing anyone of anything, though the facts speak for themselves. If a governor had a company that he controlled partake in the collection of revenue while still serving, what has changed?
