SERAP Gives NASS Ultimatum Over Social Media Regulation Bill

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has issued a stern warning to the National Assembly, urging lawmakers to immediately withdraw the proposed Nigeria Data Protection Amendment Bill, 2026. According to SERAP, the bill is a covert attempt to exert control over social media and online expression, which would undermine constitutionally guaranteed rights. The organization has threatened to take legal action if the bill is passed in its current form. The proposed legislation, sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko, would require social media platforms, data controllers, and data processors operating in Nigeria to establish physical offices in the country. The Nigeria Data Protection Commission would be empowered to shut down or prohibit the operations of non-compliant entities within 30 days. In a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, SERAP argued that the bill would create sweeping powers capable of shutting down social media platforms, thereby exposing millions of Nigerians to serious human rights violations. The organization claimed that the bill revives previous attempts to regulate social media, which were met with widespread public opposition. SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare stated that the requirements for technology companies to establish local offices would increase government leverage over platforms, facilitate political pressure, and make censorship demands easier. The organization warned that the bill would give the Nigeria Data Protection Commission excessive powers to block digital platforms without adequate procedural safeguards, and that it lacks provisions for prior judicial authorization and meaningful opportunities for compliance. SERAP cited the judgment of the ECOWAS Court of Justice on Nigeria's suspension of Twitter, arguing that the proposed amendment could produce similar consequences by indirectly excluding social media platforms from operating in the country. The organization maintained that while governments have a legitimate interest in regulating digital platforms, such measures must comply with constitutional guarantees and international human rights standards. SERAP urged the National Assembly to reject and withdraw the bill, as it is incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution and the country's obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.