- He stated that it is not only of national significance, but also central to Nigeria’s sovereignty, economy, and technological development
A bill seeking to regulate the operations of social media companies in Nigeria is in the works at the nation’s upper legislative chamber, the Senate.
One of the provisions of the bill is to mandate social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, X and others to have physical offices in Nigeria.
The proposed legislation, titled ‘A Bill for an Act to amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, to mandate the establishment of physical offices within the territorial boundaries of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Social Media Platforms, and for Related Matters, 2025 (SB. 650)’,
The bill, which is sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (APC, Delta North), passed second reading during plenary on Tuesday almost four months after passing first reading on November 21, 2024.
According to Nwoko, the bill “seeks to correct a glaring omission in how multinational social media companies engage with our country”.
He stated that it is not only of national significance, but also central to Nigeria’s sovereignty, economy, and technological development.
He noted that Nigeria as Africa’s most populous nation with over 220 million people has a significant digital presence, ranking first in Africa and second globally in terms of social media usage, spending an average of three hours and 46 minutes daily online, according to a Global Web Index report cited by Business Insider Africa.
The lawmaker added that despite the high engagement, multinational social media corporations such as Facebook, X, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat do not maintain physical offices in Nigeria, unlike in other climes.
Senator Nwoko outlined several challenges resulting from the absence of social media offices in Nigeria, including limited local representation, economic losses as well as challenges in legal and data protection compliance.
He further revealed that the bill proposes new regulations for bloggers operating in Nigeria, mandating them to establish a verifiable office in any of the capital cities across the country, maintain proper employee records and belong to a recognized national association of bloggers, headquartered in Abuja.
This measure, he explained is intended to promote accountability, transparency and professionalism in Nigeria’s digital media space, similar to traditional media houses.
Nwoko clarified that the bill is not an attack on social media platforms, but a demand for equity and respect for Nigeria’s position as a global leader in digital engagement.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said the regulation of bloggers requires careful consideration just as he agreed that having a local address for digital platforms was long overdue.
“It’s good to have an address, but bloggers are slightly different. I think the best thing is for the bill to go for a second reading and subsequently public hearing for much more streamlined clarity,” he said.
Akpabio equally explained that the bill was not an attempt to gag social media, but rather a framework for appropriate taxation and record-keeping for digital platforms operating in Nigeria.
He later referred the bill to the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security for further legislative process, to report back in two months
Discussion about this post