E-Financial
Abor, TSA Director Accuses MDAs of Operating Illegal Accounts
Sylva Abor, director, Treasury Single Account (TSA) has said that some Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are still operating illegal accounts outside the TSA.
He explained that few MDAs were given exemptions on certain grounds by the Federal Government, but added that many others were flouting the TSA policy.
Abor stated this during a meeting in Abuja with a civil society group, United Global Resolve for Peace, led by its Executive Director, Shalom Olaseni. This was contained in a statement issued by the UGRFP on Sunday.
The statement disclosed that the meeting discussed, among other things, charges being paid by the public to SystemSpecs Nigeria Limited for the running of the e-collection platform, REMITA, at N150 per transaction and the imposition of the charges on Nigerians by the Central Bank of Nigeria without recourse to the National Assembly or the public.
The TSA Director stated that his office had acted in good faith at all times, adding that the level of compliance with the TSA directive was “100 per cent.”
The statement read in part, “The director, however, conceded that certain accounts belonging to some Ministries, Departments and Agencies had yet to be reflected on the TSA platform, noting that they were exempted on certain grounds by the Federal Government while some others continue to illegally operate accounts on the fringes of regulation.”
Olaseni in his remarks called for the promulgation of a law to give legal backing to the TSA, arguing that this was necessary to ensure that the policy survived the current administration.
He said, “We reiterated our position that paying N150 is a needless cost borne by the Nigerian public. It is our position that there is indeed room to review the service charge from N150 to not more than N50 payable per transaction and at the expense of the government.
“It is also our position that there is an urgent need to legislate on the treasury single account scheme to give it a legal instrument that makes it not just a state policy but one that cannot be arbitrarily done away with by subsequent governments.”
UGRFP pledged to continue partnering with the public and private sectors in ensuring that the scheme was not hijacked or brought to ruin by unscrupulous officials.
The naira appreciated to N1,600 per dollar in the parallel market at the close of trading hours on Monday, strengthening from N1,610 per dollar recorded over the weekend.
Similarly, the naira saw a slight gain in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), trading at N1,605 per dollar compared to N1,606 last Friday, according to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). This represents a marginal N1 appreciation.
As a result, the gap between the parallel market and official exchange rate widened slightly to N5 per dollar, up from N4 over the weekend.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) spent N315.18bn on currency issue expenses in 2024, marking a sharp increase of 306 per cent compared to N77.67bn recorded in 2023, the apex bank’s audited financial statement for the year has shown.
Currency issue expenses cover the printing, processing, distribution, and disposal of banknotes.
The latest figures reveal that the CBN’s cost of managing physical cash spiralled dramatically during the year under review, as Nigeria grappled with lingering cash shortages and disruptions in the money supply chain.
The surge in expenditure came as the country continued to deal with the effects of the naira redesign policy introduced in late 2022.
Despite efforts to stabilise cash circulation throughout 2023, Nigerians still faced queues at ATMs and difficulties in accessing cash in early and late 2024.
Faced with mounting public outcry, the CBN deployed several emergency measures to address the crisis.
Deposit Money Banks were directed to ensure consistent ATM loading and rural cash distribution, while the Bank also launched public hotlines for citizens to report cash scarcity incidents.
Also, the CBN ramped up enforcement efforts, including deploying monitoring teams, issuing sanctions against non-compliant banks, and mandating improved cash distribution.
PalmPay, a full-service digital bank, has reaffirmed its dedication to advancing the future of payments in Nigeria by promoting the widespread adoption of contactless-enabled payment terminals.
This was made known during the recently concluded BusinessDay Future of Payment Conference, themed “Fintech Evolution: Gateway to Payments.” In his welcome address, BusinessDay Publisher, Frank Aigbogun, emphasized that the next phase of fintech innovation must be driven not only by speed, safety, and simplicity but also by trust, inclusion, and accessibility to ensure broad-based impact across all segments of society.
Talking about PalmPay’s impact in the panel session titled “The Next Wave of Digital Payments: Trends and Innovation,” Ifeanyi Uzoka, Senior Business Development Manager at PalmPay, discussed the evolving landscape of digital payments in Nigeria.
He noted that while regulatory frameworks have supported the introduction of contactless payments, the high level of cash dependency remains a key barrier to widespread adoption.
“At PalmPay, financial inclusion is central to everything we do,” Uzoka stated. “To support this mission, we’ve launched contactless-enabled debit and premium cards, ensuring our users have access to convenient and secure payment experiences. We also understand that trust is critical, which is why all contactless transactions on PalmPay’s platform include an additional layer of authentication for enhanced security.”
PalmPay continues to lead innovation in Nigeria’s digital finance ecosystem by delivering secure, user-friendly, and future-ready solutions. The company’s recently launched debit and premium cards in partnership with Verve are now serving its growing base of over 35 million users nationwide.
This move into contactless payments underscores PalmPay’s alignment with global payment trends and its ongoing commitment to building a more inclusive and digitally empowered economy.
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