KEY POINTS

• The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called for the withdrawal of a proposed bill that seeks to regulate bloggers and social media platforms in Nigeria, arguing that it violates freedom of expression.

• The bill mandates that bloggers register with local offices and join national associations, and requires international social media platforms to establish physical offices in Nigeria or face penalties.

• SERAP warns that the bill could lead to censorship, block access to social media platforms, and harm Nigeria’s digital economy, urging lawmakers to protect the rights of bloggers and journalists.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has called on Nigeria’s National Assembly leadership to withdraw a bill it describes as “repressive” and a direct threat to the rights of bloggers and online content creators in the country.

In a letter sent on April 12, 2025, the organization urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas to reconsider and reverse the proposed amendments to the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023, which would regulate the activities of bloggers within Nigeria’s territorial boundaries.

The bill, which has already passed its first and second readings in the Senate, mandates bloggers to register with local offices and join recognized national associations.

The proposed amendment further requires foreign social media platforms to establish physical offices within Nigeria or face severe penalties, including the potential to ban the platforms.

According to The Punch, this new bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023,” aims to regulate digital content creators by imposing these registration requirements on bloggers.

In its letter, signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization warns that the bill is a thinly veiled attempt to resurrect the widely criticized and rejected social media bill, which many critics believe seeks to silence online criticism and limit free expression. “This bill is a blatant attempt to bring back and fast-track the obnoxious and widely rejected social media bill by the back door,” the letter reads.

Bill could censor online platforms

SERAP argues that the new regulations would not only stifle freedom of expression but also lead to censorship of Nigerian bloggers and independent journalists. The organization expressed concerns over the potential to block access to major social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and TikTok, if they fail to comply with the physical office requirement.

The bill would further restrict the ability of Nigerians to access digital information and technology, which is essential to their right to information and participation in the global digital economy.

“Lawmakers should not become arbiters of truth in the public and political domain. Regulating the activities of bloggers and forcing them to associate would have a significant chilling effect on freedom of expression and lead to censorship or restraint,” SERAP stated. The organization emphasized that such measures would violate international human rights standards, particularly the right to freedom of expression, which should apply “regardless of frontiers.”

In addition to its potential impact on free speech, SERAP warned that the bill could drive international tech companies out of the Nigerian market, undermining the country’s economic growth and digital transformation. “Blocking access to social media platforms is a flagrant violation of fundamental rights,” SERAP added.

As the bill progresses through the legislative process, many civil society organizations and industry stakeholders are raising alarms about its implications for the future of free speech in Nigeria. The debate over the bill continues to grow as the National Assembly moves closer to deciding whether to pass the amendment or revise it in light of these concerns.