Senate Moves To Compel Social Media Platforms To Get Offices

The Senate, on Tuesday, stepped up moves aimed to compel operators of social media platforms in the country to get physical structures as office accommodation.

The move was introduced through a bill sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko who recently defected from the PDP to the APC.

It passed second reading during plenary, with Nwoko leading the debate on the bill.

According to him, the bill is not only of national importance, but also central to Nigeria’s sovereignty, economy, and technological development.

He added that the bill seeks to correct a glaring omission in how multinational social media companies engage with Nigeria.

Nwoko noted that Nigeria as Africa’s most populous nation with over 220 million people, has a significant digital presence.

Backing his claims with records, Nwoko ranked Nigeria first in Africa and second globally, in terms of social media usage.

He observed that the average Nigerian spends an average of three hours and 46 minutes daily online, quoting a Global Web Index report cited by Business Insider Africa.

The senator noted that despite the high engagement, multinational social media corporations like Facebook, X, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat do not maintain physical offices in Nigeria, unlike in other countries of the world.

Nwoko outlined several challenges resulting from the absence of social media offices in Nigeria, including limited local representation; economic losses as well as challenges in legal and data protection compliance.

He further stated that the bill proposes new regulations for bloggers operating in Nigeria, mandating them to establish a verifiable office in any of the capital cities across the country.

They will also be required to maintain proper employee records and maintain membership of recognised national associations of bloggers, to be headquartered in Abuja.

According to him, the measures are meant to promote accountability, transparency, and professionalism in Nigeria’s digital media space, similar to traditional media houses.

Nwoko clarified that the bill was not an attack on social media platforms, but a demand for equity and respect for Nigeria’s position as a global leader in digital engagement.

While commenting on the bill, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said regulation of bloggers required careful consideration just as he agreed that having a local address for digital platforms was long overdue.

“It’s good to have an address, but bloggers are slightly different. I think the best thing is for the bill to go for a second reading and subsequently public hearing for much more streamlined clarity,” he said.

Akpabio, however, explained that the bill was not an attempt to gag social media, but rather as a framework for appropriate taxation and record-keeping for digital platforms operating in Nigeria.

The bill was passed through voice vote and was referred to the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security for further legislative actions and to report back to the Senate in two months.

Senate Moves To Compel Social Media Platforms To Get Offices is first published on The Whistler Newspaper