Serap demands the immediate withdrawal of the “repressive” blog regulations bill.
Nigeria News Nalin It has been reported that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) calls on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to immediately withdraw a controversial bill aimed at amending the Nigeria Data Protection Act in 2023.
The Nigerian news platform understands that the bill proposes regulation of bloggers and requires the establishment of physical offices in Nigeria through social media platforms.
In a letter dated April 12, 2025 signed by Serap Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization called the bill a rebranded version of the widely rejected social media bill. Serap warned that if the bill was passed and signed into law, it could lead to censorship, infringement of fundamental rights and restrict access to online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp and Tiktok.
The bill has passed the first and second readings of the Senate, requiring bloggers to register with recognized national associations and maintain local offices within the Nigerian borders.
Serap believes the bill will have a chilling impact on freedom of speech, disrupting digital access, damaging business operations and threatening freedom of the press. The group said it was prepared to take legal action if the National Assembly proposed a bill, or if President Bra Tinub agreed.
The group stressed that the amendment contradicted the Nigerian constitution and international human rights treaties, warning that it could be used to curb dissent and force bloggers to disclose their sources, thereby further endangering press freedom.
