ABUJA — The Nigerian Senate has advanced legislative measures to compel foreign social media platforms operating within the country, including Meta (Facebook) and TikTok, to establish physical offices within Nigerian territory, receiving broad support during a public hearing organized by the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security.

Sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North), the bill proposes an amendment to the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023. It aims to ensure that major digital tech firms maintain a registered physical presence to deepen regulatory oversight, boost job creation, and streamline law enforcement requests.

Alongside the social media mandate, stakeholders at the public hearing also endorsed a concurrent bill sponsored by Senator Yemi Adaramodu seeking the establishment of a specialized Artificial Intelligence Academy in Omuo-Ekiti, Ekiti State, to serve as a hub for tech research and skills development.

The proposed amendment seeks to close regulatory gaps by ensuring that global tech platforms operating in Nigeria's cyberspace maintain local institutional channels for legal compliance, customer support, data protection oversight, and direct engagement with domestic law enforcement.

Lawmakers argued that compelling major social media platforms to set up operations in Nigeria, Africa's largest digital market, will generate local employment, increase tax revenues, and drive technology transfer, aligning Nigeria with practices already established in countries like the UK, South Africa, and India.

Senate leadership and bill sponsors dismissed fears that the measure would stifle digital innovation or act as a deterrent to foreign investment, clarifying that the legislation is non-punitive and structured to integrate tech multinationals into the economy as responsible corporate citizens.