Nigerians’ interaction with social media could see significant changes as the Senate progresses with a bill mandating social media platforms and data controllers operating in Nigeria to establish a physical presence within the country.

The legislative proposal, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023,” seeks to amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023.

Key amendments in the bill aim to align Nigeria with global data protection standards, enhance complaint resolution mechanisms, boost stakeholder confidence in social media, and potentially stimulate Nigeria’s economy through job creation and increased investments.

Senator Ned Nwoko, the bill’s sponsor, emphasised the stringent measures for non-compliance. 

“The commission shall mandate all data controllers, data processors, or operators of social media platforms to establish and maintain a physical office within the territorial boundaries of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Nwoko told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday, November 21.

“Failure to meet this requirement within 30 days would lead to prohibition from operating in Nigeria,’’ he added.

Having passed its first reading in the Senate, the bill will now move to subsequent stages for further deliberation and refinement.

This development brings to the fore the Federal Government’s 2021 Twitter ban, which lasted for about eight months. When the ban was lifted in January 2022, establishing a physical office in Nigeria by March was among the conditions the social media company agreed upon, according to Lai Mohammed, the serving Minister of Information and Culture at the time. 

However, there has been no compliance with the agreement years later, as little to nothing has been heard from either party, both of which have changed leadership and ownership.