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Twitter ban a win-win, not all about immediate taxation —Buhari aide

Published

3 years ago

October 7, 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari’s special assistant on digital/new media, Tolu Ogunlesi, has stated that the ongoing negotiation between the Federal Government and Twitter is not bordered on immediate taxation.

Ogunlesi said the condition placed before Twitter doesn’t require the Jack Dorsey-owned social media site to start paying taxes, instead, it’s about the tech company making itself available to discuss tax with authorities.

“I look at the conditions from short term, medium and long term. For example, with taxation, the condition is not that you must start paying taxes. The condition is that you must commit to having a conversation with the tax authorities about paying taxes. It’s not an insistence on paying taxes today; it’s more about commitment and timelines.” He told CNN on Wednesday.

Ogunlesi also stated that the negotiation hasn’t been an adversarial nature as claimed by some section of the media, and both parties are nearing an agreement.

In his words, “We are indeed very close to a resolution and you know one thing I must say is that the media seems to often paint a picture of some sort of adversarial negotiation or contest of sorts, but it has been a very amicable, very positive conversation.

Meanwhile, the Presidential aide said the ban, which has lasted for four months, is a win-win for both Twitter and the Federal Government, “The ban is a win-win for Twitter and the government of Nigeria; that’s the view I get from the negotiations and I am happy about that,” he said.

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