Nigerian press urges FG, NASS to check big tech threats

Nigeria’s leading media organisations have urged the Federal Government and National Assembly to act urgently against the growing dominance of global digital platforms, warning that unchecked control could undermine the country’s press, democracy, and national security.

In a joint statement under the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which includes the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the groups described Big Tech’s influence as a “strategic national threat.”

The statement noted that foreign digital platforms now dominate Nigeria’s digital advertising market, control the algorithms shaping public discourse, and extract revenue abroad, while local newsrooms struggle to survive.

“This is not conventional market disruption,” the NPO said.

“It is the emergence of private, transnational gatekeepers over public discourse, operating beyond the effective reach of national democratic accountability.”

The organisations warned that the erosion of professional journalism threatens national security, electoral integrity, social cohesion, and press freedom.

They stressed that economic viability is essential for journalistic independence, pointing out that news organisations unable to pay staff or fund investigations are effectively unfree despite constitutional protections.

Citing global examples, the NPO highlighted policies in the European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and South Africa, where governments have implemented competition laws and frameworks to ensure fair remuneration for news content and curb the dominance of digital gatekeepers.

The groups urged Nigeria to adopt a homegrown, legally grounded solution that recognises journalism as a public-interest activity, corrects bargaining power imbalances with Big Tech, ensures fair compensation for Nigerian news content, and preserves innovation, competition, and consumer choice.

They noted that institutions such as the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) already have statutory powers to enforce remedies and penalties where necessary.

“Protecting the Nigerian press is not an industry rescue,” the statement said.

“It is an investment in national stability, democratic durability, and Nigeria’s standing as a serious constitutional democracy.”

The statement was jointly signed by Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru (NPAN), Mr. Eze Anaba (NGE), Comrade Salihu Abdulhamid Dembos (BON), Danlami Nmodu (GOCOP), and Comrade Alhassan Yahaya (NUJ).

The NPO said it is ready to collaborate with the Presidency, National Assembly, regulators, civil society, broadcasters, and technology companies to design a fair, forward-looking Nigerian framework, stressing that the moment to act is now.