In response to the recent comments bordering on Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s position on the Tinubu government’s proposed introduction of a private agent collector model under the guise of TSA reforms, it is important to address the issue with clarity, responsibility, and a commitment to good governance.
The concerns raised by Alhaji Atiku are valid and rooted in well established principles of public sector transparency and accountability. The attempt to introduce a model that mirrors the Alpha Beta arrangement used in Lagos where a private company receives a percentage of government revenues for simply acting as a collector is not in the best interest of a nation striving for fiscal discipline.
The argument, that this arrangement is an administrative and technical work that is best outsourced, does not hold water. Nigeria’s public institutions are staffed with competent professionals who, when properly equipped and reformed, are fully capable of managing revenue administration efficiently and transparently.
Leakages are not exclusive to the public sector; they occur in both public and private systems. The solution is not to divert public revenue into the hands of private middlemen but to strengthen the institutions responsible for handling these functions. Effective reforms, capacity building, digitization, and strict oversight remain the positive and sustainable approach.
To continuously award such high yield revenue collection roles to private firms, earning as much as 15% commission for services public servants can perform, reduces employment opportunities in the public sector, drains government resources, and entrenches practices that do not support long-term national growth.
This conversation should not be about political point scoring. It should be about what is prudent, transparent, and beneficial to Nigeria’s economic future. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has simply echoed what many experts have consistently advocated; which is to strengthen the civil service, not sideline it.
Conclusively, national policies must be people-centered, fiscally-responsible, and free from arrangements that create unnecessary financial burdens on government coffers.
We therefore call for constructive dialogue and a review of government’s stance on the matter, as Nigerians evaluate the true implications of this proposed revenue collection model to ensure it will not turn into a replica of the controversial, exploitative and scandalous Alpha-Beta scheme imposed on Lagos by this same President when he was Governor of the state.
HON. RAHMAN OWOKONIRAN
ADC MEDIA NETWORK 2.0
