Northern elders demand immediate termination of FIRS-France tax MoU

File photo: NEF Spokesperson, Prof Abubakar Jiddere

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The Northern Elders Forum, on Sunday, called for the immediate termination of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the French tax authority, Direction Générale des Finances Publiques.

The forum warned that the agreement poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s economic sovereignty and national security.

In an open letter addressed to the Federal Government, the Senate and the House of Representatives, the forum described the MoU as a “dangerous tax data agreement” capable of exposing Nigeria’s most sensitive economic information to foreign control.

The letter, signed by the NEF spokesperson, Prof Abubakar Jiddere, stated that the agreement goes beyond technical cooperation and represents what the group termed “an unprotected gateway into the heart of Nigeria’s tax infrastructure”.

According to the letter, “The Northern Elders Forum writes today with grave concern and an overwhelming sense of patriotic duty. Nigeria stands at a crossroads—one that threatens the very pillars of our economic sovereignty, national security and collective dignity as an independent African nation.

“Yesterday’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the French tax authority, Direction Générale des Finances Publiques, is not a harmless technical collaboration.

“It is a direct, unprotected gateway into the heart of Nigeria’s tax infrastructure, placing our most sensitive economic data into the hands of a foreign power whose engagements across Africa have historically led to economic manipulation, political pressure and strategic domination.”

The NEF said granting a foreign government access to Nigeria’s tax data undermines the country’s economic independence and places its fiscal future at risk.

The elders warned that France’s historical engagements in Africa have often resulted in economic manipulation, political pressure and long-term dependency, urging Nigeria not to repeat what they described as past mistakes made by other African nations.

Jiddere added, “Wherever its influence has taken root, African countries have spent decades struggling to reclaim economic independence. Several nations, after prolonged periods of economic sabotage, extractive policies and political interference, pushed France out of their internal systems because they realised—too late—the cost of dependency.

“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 Nigeria’s digital infrastructure, this is not the time to mortgage our national pride or hand over our economic soul to any foreign state.

“The FIRS–France deal is not aid. It is an entry—entry into our economic bloodstream.”

The forum referenced a warning by Dr Segun Adebayo, a national advocate on data protection and fiscal independence, who, according to the statement, had cautioned against such arrangements in a keynote address titled Protecting Our Tax Sovereignty and during subsequent engagements at the National Assembly.

“Taxpayer data is national power. Allowing foreign control over this data is a threat to national security,” Jiddere quoted.

According to the forum, surrendering control of tax data exposes Nigeria to economic espionage, mass surveillance and potential geopolitical blackmail, as foreign actors could gain insight into strategic sectors, revenue flows and investment patterns.

“No serious country hands such power to another state,” the statement added.

The forum also criticised what it described as a failure to protect Nigeria’s local technology ecosystem, noting that Nigerian-owned firms have built globally respected fintech and digital payment platforms capable of managing the country’s tax infrastructure.

The elders further blamed the development on what they called 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, the forum said Nigeria must not replace colonialism with “digital colonialism” or economic occupation disguised as cooperation.

Among its demands, the NEF called on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to terminate the FIRS–France MoU immediately; ensure Nigeria’s tax data remains fully under Nigerian control; engage only Nigerian-owned technology companies to build and manage tax infrastructure; reintroduce and pass all data-sovereignty amendments before the Nigeria Revenue Service begins operations in January 2026; and 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, urging the President, the National Assembly and Nigerians to act swiftly.

“This is no longer a policy issue. It is a matter of national survival,” the forum added.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service had signed the Memorandum of Understanding with France’s tax authority on December 10, 2025, to enhance digital tax administration.

The agreement is aimed at providing access to advanced tools such as AI-powered audits, automated compliance systems and real-time economic analytics.

However, FIRS has maintained that the partnership is strictly a technical assistance and capacity-building framework, insisting that it does not compromise Nigeria’s tax data sovereignty or operational control, and that only aggregated and anonymised data would be shared.

Deborah, has three years of experience covering the education sector, trade unions, politics and international affairs, and is a journalist with The PUNCH

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