•Writes Buhari, denies raking in N25bn from exercise •Alleges plot to frustrate scheme

System Specs, the owner company of Remita, the e-payment and e-collection software deployed by the federal government to drive implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), has dismissed allegation of wrongdoing against it as a ploy to frustrate the scheme.

Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) had, on Tuesday, alleged on the floor of the Red Chamber that the firm was making about N25bn per day for facilitating compliance by the MDGs with the TSA directive.

Melaye accused those he described as “financial scavengers and economic cankerworms” of trying to sabotage the anti-corruption war of the Buhari administration by mismanaging the TSA.

Senate President Bukola Saraki promptly responded to the alarm by mandating a number of Senate’s committees to probe the alleged payment of N25 billion to Remita from the sum of N2.5trn allegedly mopped up from loose government accounts on September 15.

But the company has fired a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, explaining its involvement in the exercise and requesting resolution of issues surrounding the processing fees.

Debunking Melaye’s claims in a chat with our correspondent, a senior executive at SystemSpecs, who asked not to be named, said the e-collection company was never paid the said sum.

“Contrary to the impression that has been created in the media that the TSA project began with the Buhari administration, the project has been on since 2012 when the Jonathan administration appointed us as the e-collection agent, using Remita, the software we designed for that purpose,” the source said

“The only difference is that most of the government agencies did not comply with the directive until the Buhari administration came on board because the Jonathan government did not demonstrate the political will to enforce it.

“President Buhari came and gave the government agencies a time frame within which they must comply with the directive or get penalised. That is why we were able to mop up about N2.5 trillion on deadline day.”

The top executive said that at the commencement of the project in May 2012, it was agreed that one per cent of the sums collected from MDAs would be deducted and shared between Systemspecs, the affected banks and the CBN in ratios of .5 %, .4% and .1% respectively.

“That was how we were able to make a little over N3 billion, which we returned to the CBN as soon as we received a directive from the CBN Governor sometime in August that we should refund all TSA e-collection fees earned to date and suspend all charges on the platform.

“You can therefore imagine how shocked we were to hear Senator Melaye say that we were making N25 billion every day from the implementation of TSA. How on earth can that be possible?

“Ironically, the banks from whom the collections were made did not even know that they were making a lot of money from the exercise.

“It was when we received the directive to return the deductions we had made and their accounts were also debited that they realised that they had been making a lot of money from the exercise.”

In its letter to President Buhari, the company urged him to take measures that would ensure that the federal government does not play into the hands of some forces determined to frustrate the TSA initiative.

The letter dated November 6, 2015 and signed by the Managing Director of System Specs, Mr. John Obaro, reads in part: “Your Excellency, we are aware that you must have heard series of reports around the 1% processing fees chargeable on e-Collections of Government receipts. We will like to provide some background on these issues sir.

“System Specs was engaged to provide the Payment Gateway for TSA in 2011. While the payment leg of TSA commenced in January 2012, the collection component did not start as scheduled due to the resistance from a number of quarters and the absence of the political will to push this through.

“In 2013, CBN and OAGF setup ·a multi-stakeholder implementation committee and organised a joint seminar with key stakeholders, including banks, to agree formalities for commencement of e-collection.

“The Banks proposed a fee of 5% to compensate for the fact that they would no longer keep float.

“The implementation committee however recommended 2.5% after negotiation with the banks.

“The then AGF later approved 1% as processing fee, which was in turn communicated to all the stakeholders through CBN in December 2013. Subsequently, we executed a contract with CBN and other stakeholders involved on the provision of services to support TSA.

“Based on the increased scope of the TSA project, following your directive in August 2015 for all MDAs to join the scheme, we had highlighted the need for a stakeholder meeting to discuss the TSA e-collection fees. This was communicated to both CBN and OAGF.

“Instead of an invitation for a stakeholders meeting as requested, we received a directive from the CBN Governor to refund all TSA e-collection fees earned to date and to suspend all charges on the platform.

“System Specs has since complied fully with this directive and refunded all monies earned to date to CBN. This we did in good faith and without prejudice to avoid distractions that could becloud the bigger potential of the TSA project for our country.

“While we await clarification from OAGF/CBN on the way forward, we have since suspended all TSA e collection fees on the platform. This means that none of the TSA collection parties/channels are earning any fees for providing services to Government.

“This position is however not sustainable as the collection partner banks are threatening to suspend FGN TSA collections. This would clearly be playing into the hands of those who do not wish this initiative to succeed.

“We understand the strategic importance of the TSA project to this administration and the country at large. We have demonstrated good faith and continued commitment to the project in the last four years to deliver on our mandate.

“We will continue to do all within our power to bring the project to full term.

“Your Excellency, we would appreciate your kind and urgent intervention to ensure a speedy resolution of this matter before the banks stop collections.”

Alleged TSA fraud: Firm fights back - The Nation Nigeria
http://thenationonlineng.net/alleged-tsa-fraud-firm-fights-back/

WaaaaT? 2.5trillion on deadline day... wow

On a good day na some people go share dat money oh.

Dats why Dino malaye wants to ve heart attack cos no more egunje for thier committees on oversight function on MDAS nd parastatals

Remita or no Remita, TSA has come to say. No doubt a lot of the cash strangled elite are finding life too harsh cos of this blockage of their source for ill-gotten money. God bless PMS for no-nonsense enforcement of compliance.

that dino is just a whistle blower. one idiot like OSHIMOLE and FAYOSE. putting forward talk before sense.

I don't know why Nigerians, will not thoroughly verify facts before going to the public, if what I am reading here is true, it then shows the kind of weak legislative body we have in this country and change of a truth is very far.

EFCC over to u

That Dino guy should be ashamed of himself.

This is how people like Dino kill legitimate businesses in Nigeria with beer parlour rumours

Dino!!!You have just been used.You didn't carry out your research before making such an accusation.What a joke.I see the end of Dino's political career ends with this government.TSA has come to stay.

abitex577:
I don't know why Nigerians, will not thoroughly verify facts before going to the public, if I am reading here is true, it then shows the kind of weak legislative body we have in this country and change of a truth is very far.

A society where there is no penalty for a false accuser is bound to be like that.

Congratulations Nigerians !!!

Petrol now #57 per liter at the NNPC, jumia, konga and OLX petrol stations.

I just bought 50 liters ONLINE now.
Just send "APCscam" to 419 to buy yours now.


Buhari's govt is transparently corrupt.

Yet one useless dead brain tagged Igbos (even called Obaro an Igbo man, yet she claims to be from Edo state) as the owners of the firm just because an unverified claim was let loose..

The wise ones wait to hear the second or even the third party side of the story before drawing conclusions. This is so revealing and for me makes a lot of business sense for any profit oriented company. If you have problem with the modalities that you have earlier agreed to as an institution (CBN) come to the table and re-nagotiate. Finish!

wachakuta:
WaaaaT? 2.5trillion on deadline day... wow

On a good day na some people go share dat money oh.

Dats why Dino malaye wants to ve heart attack cos no more egunje for thier committees on oversight function on MDAS nd parastatals

Dino Melaye is a disgruntled fool.
The day he said that the company was being paid N25b daily was when I knew that the so called senator is a nitwit.
25b d daily translates to 750b monthly! How is that even possible.Dont be surprised that Melaye made such spurious allegation because he thought REMITA actually stands for REMI Tinubu Ahmed!

dino melaye..over to you

Front page Ooooooooooooooooooo. Dino come and see your lies.

wachakuta:
WaaaaT? 2.5trillion on deadline day... wow

On a good day na some people go share dat money oh.

Dats why Dino malaye wants to ve heart attack cos no more egunje for thier committees on oversight function on MDAS nd parastatals

people like tinubu and co i guess.
Alpha beta comes to mind.

175:
Congratulations Nigerians !!!
Petrol now #57 per liter on NNPC, jumia, konga and OXL petrol stations.
I just bought 50 liters ONLINE now. Just send "APCscam" to 419 to buy yours now.

Buhari's govt is transparently corrupt.

how much jumia charge u for courier? Can it be emm 130/l?

Hmmmm, so legislative immunity can not allow the company sue Dino for defermation.
But house should call for a debate between Dino and the company on this issue, the public need to know who is telling the truth!

175:
Congratulations Nigerians !!!

Petrol now #57 per liter on NNPC, jumia, konga and OXL petrol stations.

I just bought 50 liters ONLINE now.
Just send "APCscam" to 419 to buy yours now.


Buhari's govt is transparently corrupt.

dummy
the present FG is not perfect but it's light years ahead of the administration of the clueless one.
we picked the better of the two candidates.
if there's an election again today. I'll still vote Buhari

Some senator are clown e.g. Dino Melaye

Jaideyone:
.
if there's an election again today. I'll still vote Buhari

If things are tough today,then by now under a GEJ govt there wud have been daily riots in virtually all cities and towns in Nigeria calling for the govt to step down because of total breakdown in all forms of governance:salaries wud have been unpaid by either d fed or State govts,policemen wud probably have gone on strike,leaving Nigerians at d mercy of robbers,of course BH wud have controlled not just a few LGs but even a state or two, food prices wud have hit the roof due to high transportation cost,caused by even worse fuel scarcity than we have now plus d severe disruption of food supply from the north by BH activities and Nigeria wud have generally become unlivable and officially dubbed a failed state.
Comparing PMB to gej is like comparing Obama and Charles Taylor of liberia