The Nigerian government wants social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Tiktok to be locally registered and open offices in Nigeria and appoint contact persons with the government.
The latest move by the government at regulating social media is part of the new draft regulations from the National information technology development agency published on Monday.
According to a statement by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the new code of practice for “interactive computer service platforms/internet intermediaries” is meant to curb online abuse, including disinformation and misinformation.
The new code stipulates that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, and others must “provide information to authorities on harmful accounts, suspected botnets, troll groups, and other coordinated disinformation networks and delete any information that violates Nigerian law within an agreed time.”
Recall that Nigeria’s Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, last month said the country is monitoring Meta Platforms Inc., owners of Facebook and other platforms to ensure they comply with demands to curtail hate speech on their sites.
Nigeria under President Buhari has a record of guarding free speech. Recall that from 5 June 2021 to 13 January 2022, the government of Nigeria officially banned and restricted micro-blogging site, Twitter from operating in the country. The Nigeria government had said the ban was based on “a litany of problems with the social media platform in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news spread through it have had real-world violent consequences”
Although the conditions for the implementation of the code are yet to be fully implemented, the government said social media platforms must comply with the “new code” for continued operation in Nigeria.