THE Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to immediately withdraw the controversial bill seeking to amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
The bill aims to regulate bloggers operating within Nigeria’s territorial boundaries, raising concerns about freedom of expression and press independence.
SERAP expressed alarm over the bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Amend 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.”
The bill, which has already passed its first and second readings in the Senate, proposes to require all bloggers to register local offices and join a recognized national association for bloggers.
In a letter dated April 12, 2025, and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization condemned the bill as a “blatant attempt to bring back and fast-track the obnoxious and widely rejected social media bill by the back-door.”
SERAP warned that this move would stifle online expression and impose unnecessary restrictions on the rights of Nigerians.
The group urged the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure that any amendments to the Nigeria Data Protection Act do not undermine the rights of bloggers, journalists, or other content creators.
The organization emphasized that such amendments must protect fundamental human rights and should not impose undue restrictions on Nigerians’ rights to freedom of expression and access to information online.
“The bill seeks to regulate bloggers in ways that threaten their independence and freedom. We urge you to withdraw it immediately,” SERAP said in its statement, stressing the importance of ensuring that amendments to the law align with international standards for freedom of expression and press freedom.
The statement reads, “If passed, the bill would also be used to ban major social media platforms—including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and independent bloggers if they ‘continuously fail to establish/register and maintain physical offices in Nigeria for a period of 30 days.’”
The letter, read in part: “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.”
“The bill may also be used to block access of Nigerians to social media platforms. Blocking access to social media platforms is a flagrant violation of fundamental rights.”
