The United Global Resolve for Peace, a non-governmental organisation, has written to President Muhammadu Buhari requesting the urgent and immediate review of charges on the Treasury Single Account (TSA). This is even as the group also wrote the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, alleging that Nigerian were illegally made to bear high charges when paying money to the government through TSA. The letters signed by Mr Shalom Olaseni, Executive Director for the organisation, was titled: “Treasury Single Account, Nigerians and the Federal Government of Nigeria: The Need for an Overhaul and Review of the System”.

The organisation stated, in the letter to the President, that it had received complaints from some Nigerians of a rip-off of their money through “bogus” service charges imposed on them. “In the course of the discharge of our duty, we received some complaints from some Nigerian that the platform on which the TSA is being run – REMITA, provided by Systemspecs Ltd, is ripping them off their hard earned money through the bogus service charge that was imposed on the payers.

“It is after proper investigation, wide consultation with major stakeholders on the TSA policy, and consideration of all facts and figures concerned, that we find it pertinent to inform you of the unfair and arbitrary charges imposed on the hard working Nigerians by the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation for the running and activities of the TSA.”

“We observed as well the chain of events that unfolded after the November 2015 Senate’s sitting on the TSA project after which the Central Bank of Nigeria ordered that the service provider refund some money. We note with utmost dismay that the government has since then refused to pay the service provider and the commercial banks that helped in the smooth running of the platform up till Nov. 1, 2018 when the AGF ordered that payers will bear the brunt of the service charge thenceforth.” The organisation described the charges imposed by the AGF to sustain the TSA project as unfair adding that efforts to reach the AGF had proved abortive.

“Our organisation has reached out to the Central Bank of Nigerian, office of the Auditor-General and Systemspecs on this issue and they all have directed us to the office of the Accountant-General which is the custodian of the project TSA. All our efforts to reach the Accountant-General has proven abortive and none of our several letters sent to the office of the Accountant-General has been responded to.” The group, therefore, urged President Buhari to call for the review of the TSA charges and ensure that no political appointee was given the power to arbitrarily impose tariffs on Nigerians. It also insisted that the President ensure the government honours the agreement made with Systemspecs LTD and fully pay the money owed, and a complete overhaul of the service charge payment for the running of the TSA.

NAN