The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that Twitter and other social media service providers, also known as over-the-top (OTT) media service providers, had been cheating Nigeria of due taxes.
The Minister disclosed this while speaking to State House Correspondents after the week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, the federal government had directed that all OTT service providers that wish to continue operating in Nigeria must be registered as Nigerian companies, so that they can pay their due taxes.
Speaking on the reason for the suspension of Twitter, the Minister insisted that the microblogging platform was suspended because it provided an avenue for people that are threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria.
He also disclosed that investigations had revealed that the Founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, was one of the funders of the #ENDSARS operations in Nigeria last year
Asked to react to the rejection of the ban on Twitter by the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives, the Minister said they were entitled to their opinion.
He said freedom of speech has not been stifled by the suspension of Twitter as he maintained that Nigerians can still use other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
He also denied that the suspension is not effective arguing that Twitter is losing money as a result of the action.
