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Nigeria moves to regulate digital platforms
The federal government led by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has introduced a bill aimed at regulating digital platforms. This proposed legislation, currently under consideration by the National Assembly, intends to replace and update the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Act, a law that was adopted in 2004.
During a meeting held at the commission’s headquarters with Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Balarabe Ilelah, the Director-General of the NBC, characterized social media as an entity that creates problems if unregulated and underscored the necessity for this bill. The NBC director clarified that the existing law does not grant the NBC the authority to supervise and oversee social media platforms.
Ilelah informed the public that a bill to repeal and amend the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Act has been introduced and read for the first time on the floor of the National Assembly. Addressing the issue of unregulated social media, Ilelah declared that one of the primary challenges on the NBC Act revolves around social media and the incorrect use of social media to create sensational or fake news, and without a legal framework that empowers the NBC to address social media matters, this issue will persist.
Ilelah also disclosed that in 2023, the NBC had issued 1,238 warnings, and six different broadcasting stations had incurred penalties for violations of existing regulations.
