March 19, (THEWILL) – The Senate has advanced a bill seeking to compel social media platforms and bloggers to establish physical offices in Nigeria, as lawmakers push for stricter regulatory oversight in the digital space.
Sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North), the bill, which proposes amendments to the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, passed its second reading on the Senate floor.
It aims to ensure that global social media giants, including Facebook, X, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat, maintain local offices to enhance compliance with Nigerian laws.
Leading the debate, Nwoko argued that despite Nigeria’s massive digital footprint, multinational social media companies have no physical presence in the country, unlike in other jurisdictions.
He said this absence results in economic losses and legal hurdles in enforcing data protection and other regulatory frameworks.
The bill also introduces new requirements for bloggers, mandating them to have verifiable offices in any of Nigeria’s capital cities, keep proper employee records, and register with a recognized national association of bloggers headquartered in Abuja.
Nwoko dismissed concerns that the proposed law could be used to suppress online expression, insisting that it is designed to promote accountability and transparency, similar to existing regulations for traditional media.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio acknowledged the potential benefits of requiring digital platforms to have local offices but cautioned that regulating bloggers would require more careful scrutiny.
“It’s good to have an address, but bloggers are slightly different. I think the best approach is for the bill to proceed to a second reading and then a public hearing for more clarity,” Akpabio said.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, which is expected to submit its report within two months.
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