The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has strongly condemned the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and France’s Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFP). The party warns that this agreement poses serious risks to Nigeria’s sovereignty, economy, and national security.

In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, PRP National Chairman Falalu Bello described the agreement on digital transformation and information exchange as dangerous and ill-advised. The party asserts that the MoU amounts to outsourcing Nigeria’s sensitive tax data infrastructure to a foreign government, a move they believe could undermine the country’s economic independence.

The PRP dismissed assurances from the FIRS that the agreement does not grant France access to Nigeria’s taxpayer data, arguing that such claims are insufficient without full public disclosure of the MoU. They warned that foreign involvement in Nigeria’s tax digital systems could expose the country to surveillance, data exploitation, and economic manipulation.

According to the PRP, access to Nigeria’s real-time tax and sectoral data could give France undue leverage in future trade, investment, and loan negotiations. The party also accused President Bola Tinubu's administration of pursuing a neo-colonialist agenda and called for the immediate termination of the agreement. They urged the government to rely on local technology and financial firms, such as Flutterwave, Paystack, Interswitch, and others, for tax system reforms.

Furthermore, the party expressed concerns over the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions Limited as a Treasury Single Account (TSA) revenue-collecting agent by the FIRS, warning that this decision could create revenue monopolies similar to those they allege existed in Lagos State. The PRP called on the National Assembly to urgently enact strong data-sovereignty safeguards ahead of the new tax regime scheduled to begin in January 2026. They also urged lawmakers to investigate both the MoU and the appointment of Xpress Payment Solutions.

The party appealed to civil society organizations and Nigerians to resist what it described as dangerous precedents that could weaken national control over fiscal systems. The PRP’s stance adds to the growing opposition against the FIRS–France agreement. Earlier, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) demanded full disclosure of the MoU, warning that it could compromise Nigeria’s data security and economic independence. ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi stated that expert reviews have raised “overwhelming concerns” about the potential exposure of strategic national economic data. The Northern Elders Forum also echoed calls for transparency or outright termination of the agreement.

In response, the FIRS defended the MoU, describing it as a standard international cooperation framework focused on advisory support, knowledge sharing, and capacity building. The agency insisted that the agreement does not grant France access to Nigerian tax systems or taxpayer data and complies fully with Nigeria’s data protection laws.

Despite these explanations, opposition parties maintain that issues of transparency, data sovereignty, and procurement integrity remain unresolved and require urgent legislative oversight.