Nigerian govt mandates Twitter, Facebook, others to  set up national offices

The Nigerian Government has issued a Code of Practice for Online platforms operating in the country, mandating tech giants like Facebook, Twitter and others to establish offices in the country, 

The Spokesperson of Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Mrs Hadiza Umar said the new code was designed to protect the fundamental human rights of Nigerians and non-Nigerians living in the country.

Mrs Hadiza said the code would also define guidelines for interacting on the digital ecosystem.

She said; “the code requires Internet platforms to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and appoint a designated country representative to interface with Nigerian authorities.”

It also required that they comply with all regulatory demands and applicable tax obligations on its operations under Nigerian law.

On content moderation, NITDA said Internet platforms must “provide a comprehensive compliance mechanism to avoid publication of prohibited contents and unethical behaviour on their platform.”

They must also “provide information to authorities on harmful accounts, suspected botnets, troll groups, and other coordinated disinformation networks and deleting any information that violates Nigerian law within an agreed time.”

NITDA said the new rules were “developed in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), as well as input from Interactive Computer Service Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google, and Tik Tok amongst others.

“Other relevant stakeholders with peculiar knowledge in this area were consulted such as Civil Society Organizations and expert groups. The results of this consultations were duly incorporated into the Draft Code of Practice.”

“Other relevant stakeholders with peculiar knowledge in this area were consulted such as Civil Society Organizations and expert groups. The results of this consultations were duly incorporated into the Draft Code of Practice.”

Fresh Move

The development is a fresh move by the government to regulate online platforms, amid concerns that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is clamping down on free speech and internet freedom — a move which the government has denied.

Recalled that the Country’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed had asked the national assembly to enact a law to regulate online media.

Mohammed had told the house of representatives that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Act should be amended to empower the agency to regulate all social and online media platforms in the country.

The amendment to the NBC ACT, which was being considered by the lower legislative chamber at the time, was later suspended following public outrage.

Meanwhile, the development comes after a six-month ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria, which ended in January 2022, over what the Nigerian Government described as “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

The Nigerian government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that Nigeria fully harnesses the potential of the Digital Economy and safeguards the security and interest of its citizens in the digital ecosystem.

The Draft Code of Practice is available on the NITDA website.