A bill has passed second reading at the Senate, proposing for social media platforms to establish physical offices in Nigeria.
The piece of legislation titled, “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2003, to Make it Mandatory for Social Media Platforms to Have Physical Offices within Nigeria and for other Related Matters, 2025”, was sponsored by Sen. Ned Nwoko (APC, Delta-North).
Nwoko described Nigeria as a huge social media hub, topping the charts in Africa and the second globally in terms of usage, quoting a Global Web Index report by Business Insider Africa.
With its estimated 220 million population, Nigerian social media users spend on the average, three hours and forty-six minutes online daily, according to the lawmaker.
“Platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Whatsapp, You Tube, TikTok and Snapchat, have become indispensable to millions of our people.
“These platforms are not just tools for communication; they are ecosystems that influence our politics, shape public opinions, drive entrepreneurship and provide avenues for education and entertainment”, he said.
However, Sen. Nwoko observed that the high participation of Nigerians on social media notwithstanding, the platforms had not deemed it necessary to establish physical offices in Nigeria.
He noted that while they had no physical offices in Nigeria, the platforms opened such offices in other climes, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, India, Singapore and Australia “where they maintain offices to address regional concerns, manage content policies, and build partnerships.”
The senator further argued that the disadvantages of not having physical offices in the country ranged from limited local representation, missed economic opportunities to difficulties in seeking redress.
He clarified that the bill wasn’t an attack on social media operations but rather a “demand for respect and recognition of Nigeria’s status as a global leader in digital engagement.”
The bill also includes a provision requiring bloggers to have registered, traceable offices for the purposes of seeking redress and for taxation.The bill, which was not opposed by any senator, successfully passed second reading.
Commenting on the bill, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, clarified that it contained no provisions to gag social media or prevent freedom of expression.
On bloggers, Akpabio specifically explained that they really might not need to have a physical office, as they could write from their homes, cars, a garden or anywhere convenient for them.
“So, let us be very clear, this is not a bill to prevent freedom of expression”, he added.
The bill later passed second reading and was referred to the Committee on ICT for further legislative measures.
