Stakeholders back Senate on physical offices for social media platforms in Nigeria

Legislative move by the Senate on establishment of physical offices by Social Media Platforms in Nigeria , got significant acceleration Thursday with support by most of the stakeholders during public hearing on a bill sponsored to that effect by Senator Ned Nwoko ( Delta North ) .

The legislation   is titled : ” A bill for an Act to Alter the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 to mandate the establishment of Physical Offices within the territorial boundaries of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Social Media Platforms and for other related matters “.

Similar support was also given by Stakeholders to the bill seeking for establishment of Artificial intelligence Academy in Omuo – Ekiti , Ekiti State during the  Public Hearing  on a  bill sponsored to that effect by Senator Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South) .

In his opening address at the Public Hearing organised by the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security , Chairman of the committee, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu ( Ogun Central ), said while the first bill primarily seeks for protection of the Nation’s Cyber Space , the one on  establishment of Artificial Intelligence Academy in Omuo – Ekiti , seeks to provide for a centre of excellence in AI  Education and Research.

The President of Senate  Godwill Akpabio, who was represented by the Deputy Leader of Senate, Senator Lola Ashiru ( Kwara South) , described the two bills as forward looking and nationally significant legislative proposals which according to him, reflects Senate’s enduring commitment to improved lawmaking and good governance in the country .

He specifically declared that the bill seeking to mandate Social Media platforms operating within Nigeria to establish physical offices , is not intended to stifle the platforms in anyway .

Similar fear allaying assurance was given by  Senator Ned Nwoko in his submissions at the public hearing .

He said : ” This Bill is neither punitive nor hostile to innovation. It is not designed to frustrate investment or discourage technology companies from operating in Nigeria.

“On the contrary, it seeks to deepen their engagement with Nigeria by encouraging them to become true corporate citizens of our country”

According to him, required physical presence by operators of social media platforms are made in other countries of the world that are even smaller in size and population when compared with  Nigeria .

Around the world, major technology companies have established headquarters, regional offices, engineering centres and operational hubs in countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, Singapore, India, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Brazil, Australia, and Japan. Some of these companies even maintain multiple offices within the same country. For instance, Meta operates major facilities in Dublin, Cork and Clonee in Ireland, while its United Kingdom operations span King’s Cross and Brock Street in London. Google maintains multiple offices in London, Dublin, Sydney, São Paulo, Munich and Tokyo, with more than one campus in several of those cities.

“These offices perform diverse functions ranging from engineering and artificial intelligence research to legal and regulatory compliance, public policy, advertising, trust and safety, cloud services, sales, customer support and product development.

“These countries did not attract such investments by accident. They recognised early that the digital economy is now as important as the traditional economy. By encouraging global technology companies to establish local operations, they have created employment, expanded tax revenues, strengthened regulatory engagement, promoted innovation and encouraged technology transfer to their citizens.

“Ireland, for example, has become one of Europe’s foremost technology hubs because companies such as Meta, Google, LinkedIn, TikTok and X maintain significant operations there.

“These companies employ thousands of professionals, contribute substantially to the Irish economy and work directly with regulators and government institutions. The presence of these companies has also helped develop local technology talent, stimulate innovation and attract further foreign investment.

“The question therefore is simple: if countries with significantly smaller populations and digital markets than Nigeria have secured these investments and benefits, why should Nigeria continue to stand on the sidelines? Why should Africa’s largest digital market not enjoy the same opportunities?”, he asked .