Northern Elders Sound Alarm Over FIRS-France Tax Deal, Demand Immediate Termination

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called for the urgent termination of a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the French tax authority, Direction Générale des Finances Publiques, warning that the agreement threatens Nigeria’s economic sovereignty and national security.

In an open letter addressed to the Federal Government, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, NEF described the MoU as a “dangerous tax data agreement” that could expose Nigeria’s most sensitive financial information to foreign control. The letter was signed by NEF spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere.

“The Northern Elders Forum writes today with grave concern and an overwhelming sense of patriotic duty,” the letter reads. “This MoU is not a harmless technical collaboration. It is an unprotected gateway into the heart of Nigeria’s tax infrastructure, placing our most sensitive economic data into the hands of a foreign power whose historical engagements across Africa have often led to economic manipulation, political pressure, and strategic domination.”

The forum warned that granting France access to Nigeria’s tax data undermines the country’s economic independence and could put its fiscal future at risk. Jiddere cited Africa’s past experiences with French influence, highlighting the economic and political costs incurred by other nations that allowed foreign control over critical systems.

“Wherever its influence has taken root, African countries have spent decades struggling to reclaim economic independence,” the letter stated. “Nigeria must not walk into the same trap with open eyes. With insecurity ravaging our communities, the naira under pressure, unemployment high, and foreign interests circling our digital infrastructure, this is not the time to mortgage our national pride or hand over our economic soul to any foreign state.”

The NEF also referenced warnings from Dr. Segun Adebayo, a national advocate on data protection and fiscal independence, who cautioned that taxpayer data is national power and that allowing foreign control constitutes a serious national security threat.

According to the forum, surrendering control of tax data exposes Nigeria to economic espionage, mass surveillance, and geopolitical blackmail, giving foreign actors insight into strategic sectors, revenue flows, and investment patterns. They criticised the government for failing to leverage Nigerian-owned technology firms that have developed globally respected fintech and digital payment platforms capable of managing the nation’s tax infrastructure.

The forum further blamed legislative lapses, arguing that proposed data-sovereignty amendments to existing laws could have prevented the MoU from being signed without parliamentary scrutiny.

Issuing what it described as a final warning, NEF urged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to:

Terminate the FIRS–France MoU immediately;

Ensure Nigeria’s tax data remains fully under national control;

Engage only Nigerian-owned technology companies for tax infrastructure;

Reintroduce and pass data-sovereignty amendments before FIRS operations begin in January 2026;

Prohibit any foreign entity from processing or storing Nigeria’s tax data.

“The Northern Elders Forum will oppose this deal with every moral, civic, and constitutional tool available,” the statement said, describing the issue as “no longer a policy matter, but one of national survival.”

The MoU, signed by FIRS on December 10, 2025, aims to enhance digital tax administration through tools such as AI-powered audits, automated compliance systems, and real-time economic analytics. However, FIRS has maintained that the partnership is strictly for technical assistance and capacity-building, insisting that it does not compromise Nigeria’s tax data sovereignty and that only aggregated and anonymised data will be shared.

The NEF’s intervention signals heightened public scrutiny of Nigeria’s collaborations with foreign entities, especially in sensitive areas affecting national security and economic independence.