Bill Mandating Physical Offices for Social Media platforms, Bloggers in Nigeria Scales second reading

A bill seeking to amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, to mandate social media platforms to establish physical offices within the country has passed its second reading in the Senate.

The bill, 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),” was sponsored by Senator Ned Munir Nwoko (APC, Delta North).

Following the debate, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, with a directive to report back in two months.

In his argument for the bill, Senator Nwoko emphasized Nigeria’s vast digital presence, citing a Global Web Index report that ranks the country as Africa’s largest and the world’s second-largest user of social media, with an average daily usage of three hours and 46 minutes. Despite this, he noted that major platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat do not have physical offices in Nigeria.

He highlighted several challenges stemming from this absence, including:

• Limited local representation, which affects communication between platforms and the government.
• Economic losses, as Nigeria misses out on potential job creation and tax revenue.
• Challenges in legal and data protection compliance, making it harder to enforce regulations on digital platforms.

Additionally, the bill introduces new regulations for bloggers operating in Nigeria. It requires all bloggers to:

• Establish a verifiable office in any state capital.
• Maintain proper employee records.
• Belong to a recognized national association of bloggers, headquartered in Abuja.

Senator Nwoko stated that the goal of the bill is to enhance accountability, transparency, and professionalism in Nigeria’s digital media space, aligning bloggers with the standards of traditional media houses. He emphasized that the legislation is not an attack on social media but rather a move to ensure digital platforms operate within Nigeria’s regulatory framework.