The Socio-Financial Rights and Accountability Undertaking (SERAP) has appealed Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas to instantly withdraw a controversial invoice looking for to amend the Nigeria Information Safety Act 2023. The invoice, in line with SERAP, would impose draconian restrictions on bloggers and social media platforms working inside Nigeria’s borders.
In a letter dated April 12, 2025, and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group referred to as on the Nationwide Meeting management to “instantly withdraw the repressive invoice for an act to amend the Nigeria Information Safety Act, 2023,” which mandates that social media platforms and bloggers should set up bodily places of work inside Nigeria’s territorial boundaries or face punitive motion.
In keeping with SERAP, the invoice—titled “A Invoice for an Act to Amend the Nigeria Information Safety Act, 2023, to Mandate the Institution of Bodily Places of work inside the Territorial Boundaries of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Social Media Platforms and for Associated Issues”—poses a grave risk to digital rights and freedoms within the nation.
The invoice, which has already handed its first and second readings within the Senate, proposes, amongst different issues, that bloggers should register native places of work and be a part of acknowledged nationwide running a blog associations.
SERAP described the legislative transfer as an try and reintroduce the “extensively rejected” social media invoice by way of the again door. It argued that the invoice is inconsistent with Nigeria’s obligations underneath the 1999 Structure (as amended) and worldwide human rights treaties.
“If handed, the invoice would even be used to ban main social media platforms—together with Fb, X (previously Twitter), Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and impartial bloggers—in the event that they ‘repeatedly fail to determine/register and keep bodily places of work in Nigeria for a interval of 30 days,’” SERAP acknowledged.
The group warned that such laws may very well be exploited by authorities to censor dissenting voices and punish people and organizations for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and affiliation.
“Regulating the actions of bloggers and forcing them to affiliate would have a big chilling impact on freedom of expression and result in censorship or restraint. Lawmakers mustn’t change into arbiters of reality within the public and political area,” the letter learn.
Authorized Implications and Risk to Democracy
SERAP expressed issues that the invoice may very well be weaponized to dam entry to social media platforms, hinder entry to info, and stifle crucial discourse, significantly towards the ruling authorities.
“This regulation may additionally be used as a pretext to power bloggers to reveal their sources, undermining the suitable to guard journalistic sources—a cornerstone of press freedom,” the group mentioned.
The invoice, if handed, would additionally adversely have an effect on unregistered bloggers working inside Nigeria, inserting disproportionate obstacles on people and teams—particularly journalists, civil society organizations, and human rights defenders—who could also be crucial of presidency insurance policies.
“Necessary regulation of journalism is incompatible with the suitable to freedom of expression. There isn’t a reputable purpose why bloggers—or actually members of most of the people—ought to be topic to obligatory regulation or licensing to specific themselves,” SERAP added.
Enterprise, Know-how, and Financial Influence
Past the human rights implications, SERAP additionally highlighted the financial and operational disruptions the invoice may trigger. The requirement for worldwide tech corporations to determine bodily places of work in Nigeria could result in mass exits from the nation’s digital house.
“Along with infringing on Nigerians’ proper to entry to info and digital expertise, the proposed invoice would severely hamper enterprise operations, as many corporations are reliant on overseas instruments, companies, and platforms to function.”
The proposal, in line with SERAP, fails to think about the borderless nature of digital communication and violates the precept that freedom of expression ought to be protected “no matter frontiers.”
SERAP Threatens Authorized Motion
SERAP emphasised that if the Nationwide Meeting proceeds with the invoice and it’s signed into regulation by President Bola Tinubu, the group wouldn’t hesitate to problem its legality in courtroom.
“Ought to the Nationwide Meeting and its management fail to withdraw the invoice to manage the actions of bloggers, and will any such invoice be assented to by President Bola Tinubu, SERAP would contemplate applicable authorized motion to problem the legality of any such regulation and guarantee it’s by no means carried out within the public curiosity.”
The group concluded by reminding the Nationwide Meeting of its authorized obligations to make sure a secure and open surroundings the place numerous opinions and concepts might be freely expressed and debated.
Citing the 2005 and 2011 Joint Declarations by particular rapporteurs on freedom of expression, SERAP reiterated that “[n]o one ought to be required to register with or get hold of permission from any public physique to function an Web service supplier, web site, weblog or different on-line info dissemination system, together with Web broadcasting.”
What You Ought to Know
- The invoice seeks to amend the Nigerian Information Safety Act 2023 by introducing stringent rules for bloggers and social media platforms.
- It requires bodily presence and official registration of social media platforms inside Nigeria.
- SERAP warns that the invoice may very well be used to stifle dissent, censor on-line expression, and violate basic human rights.
- The invoice has handed its first and second readings within the Senate, awaiting additional legislative motion.
- SERAP has threatened authorized motion ought to the invoice be handed into regulation.
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