Nigeria’s Social Media Local Physical Presence Requirement Is Good Policy

People should relax on this matter: “The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday passed for a second reading a Bill seeking to amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, to mandate multinational social media companies to establish physical offices within Nigeria. The proposed legislation, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, 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” (SB. 648), was sponsored by Senator Ned Munir Nwoko (Delta North). The Bill was read for the first time on November 21, 2024.”

“Nigeria ranks first in Africa and second globally in daily social media usage, yet these multinational companies operate here without any physical presence,” Nwoko said. “This creates a gap in addressing regulatory concerns, managing content policies, and building local partnerships.”

The lawmaker outlined three key concerns arising from the absence of physical offices for these platforms: limited local representation, missed economic opportunities, and difficulty in legal redress.

“The lack of a local presence creates a disconnect between the platforms and their Nigerian user base,” he said. “Resolving user complaints, addressing regulatory concerns, or managing content moderation issues specific to Nigeria often takes longer due to the geographical and cultural distance.”

What is wrong asking online companies and especially social media companies to establish offices in Nigeria? Yes,  I understand the concern on censorship. But when you look at the big picture, we should be fair to the government, and by that I mean whatever it takes to build global revenue models of the future. If Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, etc think Nigeria is an important market, we expect them to open offices therein so that we can get our tax revenues as they serve our citizens.

But if they do not consider Nigeria as being vital, they should forget us, and local ones will evolve. On this one, the Senate is right. And this is not a free speech matter: this is an economic matter because in the near future, where we expect companies to deliver products and services via online means, nations will struggle to receive cross-border taxes even on trades done in their domains, by their citizens. President Trump is leading on this and I am happy Nigeria is learning.

Comment on Feed

Comment on blogger section of the bill

My response: From the section I copied which my post was based on, there was no blogger part. The problem is that you are reading that I support a BILL when my focus was supporting a component in a bill.  It is still a bill, pick areas you care and praise or otherwise. I do not need to get involved in all sections. That is how they will know what they throw out or otherwise.

Nigerian Senate Passes Bill to Mandate Social Media Platforms, and Bloggers, to Have Physical Office, Stirring Fresh Censorship Concern

Connect via my LinkedIn | Facebook | X | TikTok | Instagram | YouTube