The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to immediately withdraw a controversial bill seeking to amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
The bill proposes regulation of bloggers and mandates the establishment of physical offices in Nigeria by social media platforms.
In a letter dated April 12, 2025, signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization described the bill as a rebranded version of the widely rejected social media bill. SERAP warned that if the bill is passed and signed into law, it could lead to censorship, violate fundamental rights, and restrict access to online platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp, and TikTok.
The bill, which has passed its first and second readings in the Senate, requires bloggers to register with a recognized national association and maintain local offices within Nigeria’s borders.
SERAP argued that the bill would have a chilling effect on freedom of expression, undermine digital access, harm business operations, and threaten press freedom. The group said it is prepared to take legal action should the National Assembly proceed with the bill or if it is assented to by President Bola Tinubu.
The organization stressed that the amendment contradicts the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights treaties, warning it could be used to suppress dissent and force bloggers to disclose their sources, further endangering press freedom.
