Remita not discarded, to be integrated into TMRAS – OAGF
By Tunde Opalana
The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has assured the public that Remita, the Federal Government approved payment gateway, will not be discarded continue to be operational despite the launch of the new Treasury Management and Revenue Assurance System (TMRAS).
Spokesperson for the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, in a statement that Remita would be integrated into TMRAS alongside other eligible Payment Solution Service Providers (PSSPs) to enhance payment liberalisation.
“Remita is one of the secured channels of revenue payment, but there are many others. The Treasury Management and Revenue Assurance (TMRAS) will now allow these other secure payment platforms to connect.
“So, it will not be only Remita, but all the other payment service providers that are licensed by the CBN will be able to operate,” his statement reflected.
According to the Office of the Accountant General, “the Treasury Management and Revenue Assurance (TMRAS) is designed to coordinate, streamline, and manage the Federal Government’s revenue collections and payments for all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
“It will guarantee the liberalisation of government revenue payment processes, enhance revenue collections, and would aid efficient, timely analysis of the information regarding such transactions”
“The OAGF therefore, advised revenue payers and the general public to continue using Remitta for federal government transactions and also directed them to visit www.fgntreasury.gov.ng for further payment instructions.
Recall that the outgoing Accountant-General of the Federation, Mrs. Oluwa Oyin Madein, FCCA, FCA, FCNA, had earlier on Tuesday said the move by the Federal Government to launch a new revenue collection platform, the Treasury Management and Revenue Assurance System (TMRAS), to replace the Remita platform “was spearheaded by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), aligns with directives from President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Finance to enhance Treasury Management, Revenue Assurance, and Budget Performance for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as Federal Government-Owned Enterprises (FGOEs)..
According to the directive, “MDAs currently accessing funds via the Remita platform will now transit to TMRAS using the OAGF website, www.fgntreasury.gov.ng.
“All MDAs, including those that currently access funds at the CBN through the Remita platform, shall now access their funds via the Treasury Management and Revenue Assurance System using the OAGF website (www.fgntreasury.gov.ng),” the circular stated.
But Mokwa in a statement on Wednesday assured that all existing users on Remita would be migrated automatically and retain their login credentials while new users will receive an email notification with a one-time password, which must be changed upon first login.
“All current and active users on the Remita platform will automatically be able to log into the Treasury Management and Revenue Assurance System using the same username and Corporate previously set up on the Remita system. Once any user is created, an automated email notification detailing the username and one-time password shall be sent. The system will mandate a change of the one-time password at first login,” the statement added.
According to the directive from the OAGF, all MDAs are required to integrate their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or financial systems with TMRAS to facilitate seamless collections, payment processing, automatic bank statement delivery, and budget control.
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Harping on compliance, the OAGF said “the new system mandates that all contractors register with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to receive payments. Additionally, all tax-deductible payments, including Value Added Tax (VAT), Withholding Tax (WHT), and Stamp Duty, will be processed simultaneously with vendor payments.
“The system shall not permit any payment without the associated tax components”.
Background
Prior to this transition, the front-end payment infrastructure for the Nigerian government’s revenue collection was managed by SystemSpecs, the company behind the Remita platform.
Remita has been serving as the gateway for the Treasury Single Account (TSA) of the Nigerian government since 2012.
The government’s plan to take over the management of this infrastructure aims to expand the collection system to accommodate other Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-licensed payment solution service providers.
