THE Senate recently advanced a bill demanding international social media platforms to establish physical offices within the country. The bill sponsored by Ned Nwoko, Senator representing Delta North, has scaled through the first and second reading.

IT seeks to amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, to enforce compliance among social media companies operating within Nigeria’s borders. It also seeks to regulate bloggers, mandating them to establish verifiable offices in any state capital.

THE legislation proposes that bloggers keep proper employee records and be part of a harmonised national body with its headquarters in Abuja. It argued that, like traditional media houses, bloggers should be properly registered and regulated to uphold professionalism and transparency.

IF passed into law, the bill would introduce stricter oversight of Nigeria’s digital space, ensuring what the Senator described as “a fair and just” online environment.

THE bill has received criticism from across Nigeria because of the nature of our leaders when it comes to suppressing people’s voices through the media. Opportunities of social media in the present day Nigeria by every ramification outweigh the so called good motive of the bull in question.

NIGERIANS suspect this is a reincarnation of Decree 4 of 1984 of the military era in a democratic setting. This bill is viewed as an attempt to revive and expedite the widely rejected social media bill through the back door. The proposed legislation poses a direct threat to freedom of expression and digital rights in Nigeria, and could be used as a tool for censorship and repression.

IF passed, the bill could be weaponised to ban major platforms such as Facebook, (formerly Twitter), Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and TikTok, and to silence independent bloggers who fail to establish physical offices within 30 days.

THE bill may also be used to block access to social media platforms in Nigeria which is a clear indication of violation of fundamental human rights as enshrined in the country’s constitution regarding freedom of association.

APART from being a violation of fundamental human rights, social media is among the very few independent media where common man access first hand information in the country. The traditional media are owned by the governments and their cronies that believe much in the ownership interest.

IN many cases, traditional media ownership is concentrated in the hands of a few private groups close to those in power and individuals with political interests, which compromises newsrooms’ editorial independence.

MANDATORY regulation of journalism is incompatible with the right to freedom of expression. There is no legitimate reason why bloggers or indeed members of the general public should be subjected to mandatory regulation or licensing to express themselves. We say no to the bill because it violates both constitutional and international human rights standards, including the right to privacy, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of expression.

THE Nigerian Constitution and human resources  rights treaties which the country has ratified protect everyone’s right, including bloggers, to maintain an opinion without interference, and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers and through any media.

THE bill may also be used as a pretext to compel bloggers to reveal their sources. The right to protect sources is a cornerstone of freedom of the media. Without this right, sources may be deterred from assisting the media in informing the public on matters of public interest.

THE  Hope calls on the National Assembly against adopting outdated regulatory models designed for broadcasting and telecommunications, particularly in relation to the Internet.

NIGERIANS love democracy and are expecting bills that will make them enjoy more of its dividends as promised by President Bola Tinubu, not the one that will gag important information like regulating bloggers which is currently being discussed at the National Assembly. Should the bill be passed by the National Assembly sit will be an aberration, The Hope appeals to Mr. President not to assent to it so that his political enemies will not use it against him as being  dictatorial and anti-masses, especially when we are not under the military rule where impunity reign. May we never experience the military junta dictatorial tendency again in Nigeria.