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Global Tech, Digital Giants Won’t Escape Tax in Nigeria- FG
Federal government has vowed big technology and digital companies with a significant economic presence in Nigeria, though without physical offices, won’t escape tax payments henceforth.
The government said it would rely on the provisions of the Finance Act 2019 to ensure that they no longer escape such payments.
It noted its decision was in tandem with ongoing international talks in Paris on global standard rules for governments to receive taxes from technology and digital firms with a significant economic presence in foreign countries.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo stated this during an interaction with a delegation from the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), led by Mr Adesina Adedayo, its president, at the Presidential Villa.
Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
“While the Federal Government will not be raising tax rates at this time, based on the Finance Act 2019, it is already empowered to widen the tax net.
“This includes collecting taxes on the Nigerian income of global tech giants with a significant economic presence here, even if they have not established an office or permanent establishment, and are currently not paying taxes in Nigeria.
“In this regard, Section 4 of the Finance Act 2019, provides that the finance minister, may by order of the president, determine what constitutes the significant economic presence of a company, other than a Nigerian company.
“We have had severe economic downturns, which of course implies that we may not be able to collect taxes with the aggressiveness that would ordinarily be expected.
“I think the most important thing is that we must widen our tax net so that more people who are eligible to pay tax are paying,” Osinbajo said.
Akande siad in the statement that the vice president also noted that several efforts had been made in that regard.
“I am sure you are aware of the initiatives including the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), which was also an attempt to bring more people into the tax net, including those who have foreign assets.”
According to the vice president, the Federal Government has also recently taken a step with respect to a lot of the technology companies that are not represented in Nigeria, but who do huge volumes of business in the country.
He said that the Finance Act had shown that Nigeria was prepared to ensure that the big technology companies did not escape without their fair share of taxation in Nigeria.
“Many of them do incredible volumes here in Nigeria and in several other parts of the region.
“We have drawn up the regulations and we are prepared to go, and I think that we are at least in a good place to tap into some of the tax resources we can get from some of these companies.
“Besides the Federal Government, a recent Bloomberg news article reported that “Governments around the world are grappling with how to modernise their legal frameworks to account for the global reach of the digital economy, reshaping how policymakers think about issues as varied as monopoly power, taxation and workers’ rights.”
He said that international talks were currently ongoing in Paris on global standard rules for governments to receive taxes from such digital and technology firms with a significant economic presence in foreign countries.
Osinbajo gave further explanations on legal provisions for the subject matter.
“In Nigeria, according to the Finance Act 2019, a company will pay taxes if it transmits, emits or receives signals, sounds, messages, images or data of any kind by cable, radio, electromagnetic systems, or any other electronic or wireless apparatus to Nigeria.
“This in respect of any activity, including electronic commerce, application store, high-frequency trading, electronic data storage, online adverts, participative network platform, online payments and so on, to the extent that the company has significant economic presence in Nigeria and profit can be attributable to such activity.”
He said that the Federal Government had no plans to raise taxes currently in reference to arguments that tax rates were too low, comparing Nigeria to other places in the region where the rates were much higher.
“So we have had to balance all of these issues because clearly, higher tax rates can be a disincentive to businesses and investments.
“In terms of domestic resource mobilisation, we are trying to do the best we can given the present circumstances and I believe that there is room for improvement.
“Actually, under the Finance Act 2019, the Federal Government has reduced taxes for small companies – companies with less than N25 million in annual turnover are charged Zero Company Income Tax, CIT.
“Also CIT for Companies with revenues between N25 million and N100m (described in the Act as “medium-sized” companies) has been reduced from 30 percent to 20 percent.
“Besides, Nigerians making minimum wage income are not to pay tax at all,” he said.
He said that under the 2020 Finance Act, there was also an exemption of small companies from payment of education tax under the Tertiary Education Trust fund (TETFUND), meaning companies with less than N25 million turnover were eligible.
Osinbajo added there was a 50 per cent reduction in minimum tax; from 0.5 per cent to 0.25 per cent for gross turnover for financial years ending between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021.
Earlier in his remarks, Adedayo commended the leadership of the vice president in the implementation of key government interventions in the economy.
“We acknowledge your great zeal and commitment to the Nigeria project,” he said.
Adedayo said the visit became necessary given the enormous work the administration had done towards addressing the huge fiscal challenges in the polity, public financing reforms, and sustained efforts towards addressing infrastructure deficit.
According to the ‘Anatomy of a Cyber World: Global Report by Kaspersky Security Services’, there has been a noticeable decline in the percentage of high-severity incidents over the past few years.
While 2021 recorded the highest proportion at 14.3%, 2025 experienced the lowest in six years at just 3.8%. This trend indicates that many attack attempts were quickly detected and effectively mitigated by Kaspersky MDR experts, preventing their severity from escalating beyond medium levels.
High-severity incidents are defined as attacks involving direct human involvement that result in a significant impact on the customer’s IT infrastructure. In 2025, the number of such incidents detected by Kaspersky MDR decreased by 19% compared to 2024, highlighting improvements in early detection capabilities and more effective remediation efforts among Kaspersky MDR clients.
A detailed analysis of the root causes of these incidents in 2025 reveals the following insights:
Human-driven attacks accounted for approximately 23% of high-severity incidents. Although this represents a slight decrease from 2024, they continue to be the primary cause of serious breaches.
Kaspersky detected such attacks in nearly 21% of customers, demonstrating that motivated adversaries persist in bypassing automated defences. Despite advancements in automated detection tools, these highly skilled attackers still find ways to evade security measures.
Confirmed cyber exercises like Red Teaming made up over 23% of incidents. When activity is verified as part of security testing, it’s often classified as infrastructure false positives, though customers frequently report them as incidents.
Social engineering ranked third, responsible for over 15% of high-severity attacks and affecting nearly 18% of organisations. These are classified as high-severity when successful and not automatically remediated, often leading to security awareness recommendations.
Security policy violations constituted just under 14% of all cases, involving legitimate accounts performing suspicious actions like data exfiltration. Malware incidents represented less than 12%, while artifacts from past attacks, or APT traces, were found in over 7% of cases. Vulnerability detection, though not core focus for Kaspersky MDR, was reported in fewer than 5% of incidents.
“The decline in high-severity incidents highlights the critical importance of adopting a proactive cybersecurity strategy. Human-led solutions such as Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Incident Response remain essential in combating sophisticated, human-driven threats.
To further enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of in-house security teams, organisations should incorporate advanced, automated solutions like Extended Detection and Response (XDR), which provide improved visibility and enable faster responses.
Additionally, leveraging SOC consulting services can assist in building a robust Security Operations Center from the ground up or optimising an existing one for maximum performance.
An integrated approach to hybrid security operations empowers organisations to detect threats early, contain them swiftly, and ultimately prevent severe breaches from occurring,” comments Sergey Soldatov, Head of Security Operations at Kaspersky.
Google and UpSkill Universe, Sub-Saharan Africa’s leading AI and business skills training partner, have announced a major redesign of the Google Hustle Academy programme.
For the first time, the free training initiative is open to everyone, not just business owners. The new curriculum is focused on equipping individuals and entrepreneurs with practical AI skills.
Small businesses are the engine of Africa’s economy, creating over 80% of jobs on the continent. To help them grow, the Hustle Academy was launched in 2022, providing bootcamp-style training on business strategy, digital skills, AI, and leadership. The program has since trained over 18,000 SMEs, with many reporting increased revenue and job creation.
Now, as AI reshapes the job market, the program is evolving. The 2026 edition is built for anyone in Sub-Saharan Africa, including employees, students, and jobseekers, who wants to use AI to advance their career.
To meet the needs of a diverse audience, the new format includes short, 60-minute webinars and more immersive, high-impact bootcamps. These sessions are laser-focused on putting AI to work immediately in areas like digital commerce, marketing, and growth strategy.
Speaking about the academy, Gori Yahaya, Founder & CEO UpSkill Universe said “The 2026 Hustle Academy is designed to close the AI Skills gap with hands-on training that is short, focused, and immediately useful. AI is reshaping how businesses win and how careers are built, right across this continent.
“We’re excited to renew our partnership, now in its fifth year with Google, combining their global AI leadership with our deep regional AI expertise. The next wave of AI leaders will come from this continent. We are making sure they are ready.”
The Hustle Academy initiative has strengthened digital competitiveness across emerging African economies by enabling SMEs to move beyond AI awareness to practical implementation, positioning them for sustained growth in an increasingly AI-driven business environment.
“We believe that the future of Africa’s digital economy lies in the hands of individuals and entrepreneurs alike. Our new strategy focuses on scaling reach by training individuals in the latest AI-centered tools and techniques,” said a Google representative.
Lagos State has dragged 45 individuals and firms, including Bi-Courtney Aviation, DAAR Communications and Leaders & Company, to revenue court for tax debts running into billions of naira.
Lagos Govt
Bi-Courtney, operators of Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two, faces N38.7 million claim; DAAR, behind Africa Independent Television, owes N22.4 million; ThisDay publishers Leaders & Company allegedly skip N67.1 million.
GMT Energy Resources tops corporates at N145.8 million, followed by Sheriff Deputies at N132.1 million; others like Heyden Petroleum, AA Rescue, BRT operator Primero also listed.
Individuals owe N13.5 million to N35 million each.
Attorney-General Lawal Pedro said suits followed ignored notices, aiming to enforce laws and fund infrastructure.
More defendants: IENG Nigeria, James Fisher, V Care Diagnostics, Venture Garden, Saro Africa, Barry Callebaut, Native Media, First Consulting, Eyowo Payments.
Compliant taxpayers post-notice escaped prosecution; defaulters risk penalties, interest, jail.
Pedro urged prompt filings and payments.
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