A Bill seeking to make it compulsory for social media platforms to have physical offices as well as formalise the registration and regulation of bloggers in Nigeria scaled the second read reading yesterday at the Senate.
It was the Senate’s second attempt to regulate the social media in the country.
Its first attempt during the Ninth National Assembly fizzled out after widespread criticisms and outcry by stakeholders who regarded it as an attempt to gag the media and contravene Section 39 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of expression provides.
The Bill, among others, proposed that “bloggers must be properly registered and regulated to ensure professionalism, transparency, and responsibility in their operations”.
The Bill, titled: “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, LFN, 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, 2024,” according to the sponsor, Senator Ned Nwoko (APC, Delta North), “seeks to correct a glaring omission in how multinational social media companies engage with our country”.
In his lead debate, Nwoko said the Bill borders on a “matter that is not only of national importance but is also central to Nigeria’s sovereignty, economy, and technological development”.
He noted that the Bill was read for the first time on Thursday, November 21, 2024.
According to him, Nigeria is not just the most populous country in Africa; it is also one of the most active when it comes to digital engagement.
He noted that with over 220 million people, social media has become an essential part of the people’s daily lives.
Culled from the Nations
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