The Senate has passed a second-read bill aimed at amending the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, requiring social media platforms and users (such as bloggers) to establish physical offices within the country.
The bill is titled “A bill that amends the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023, requiring the establishment of physical offices within the territorial borders of the Federal Republic of Nigeria through social media platforms, and related matters, 2025 (SB. 650),” sponsored by Senator NED MUNIR NWOKO NWOKO APC.
Senate President Gosville Akpabio then forwarded it to the Senate ICT and Cybersecurity Committee for reporting within two months.
Senator Nwauko explained in the main debate on the general principles of the bill that Nigeria, as the most populous country in Africa, has a number of more than 220 million people, ranks first in Africa in terms of the use of social media and first in social media use, spending an average of three hours and 46 minutes online every day.
He stressed that despite the high engagement, multinational social media companies such as Facebook, X, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Tiktok and Snapchat are not maintained in Nigeria’s physical offices.
Senator Nwoko outlines several challenges in the lack of a social media office in Nigeria, including: limited local representation; economic losses and challenges in legal and data protection compliance.
The bill also proposes new regulations for bloggers doing business in Nigeria. It stipulates that all bloggers must establish verifiable offices in any capital city in the country, maintain proper employee records, and belong to the recognized national blogging association headquartered in Abuja.
According to Senator Nwoko, the measure aims to promote accountability, transparency and professionalism in the field of digital media in Nigeria, similar to traditional media companies, as he asserted that the bill is not an attack on social media platforms, but rather a respect for equity and respect for Nigeria’s position as a global leader in digital engagement.
