The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) has tasked the National Assembly and the Federal Government to impose measures to ensure that the country’s information sovereignty is not undermined by the global high-tech giants, in the digital age.
The group made the call in a statement jointly endorsed on Wednesday by representatives of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).
The statement was entitled, ‘Preserving Nigeria’s Information Sovereignty: Why the Federal Government Must Act to Secure the Nigerian Press in the Digital Age.’
The group stated that its “Strategic Appeal to the Presidency and the National Assembly” was necessary as ‘Nigeria is approaching a critical inflexion point in its democratic and digital evolution.’
The NPO further stated that decisions taken now by the Presidency and the National Assembly on the appeal would shape not only the future of journalism but also the strength of Nigeria’s social cohesion, national security, and democratic governance in the decades ahead.
The NPO, which comprises NPAN, NGE, BON, GOCOP, and NUJ, stated that its position was in the public interest, not as private advocacy.
It stated, “The question before the Nigerian state is clear: can a democracy of Nigeria’s scale, diversity, and complexity afford to surrender control of its information ecosystem to unregulated global digital gatekeepers?”
According to the NPO, the strategic nature of the threat is the rapid rise of global digital platforms, which have fundamentally altered Nigeria’s information environment.
The group stated that while these platforms had expanded access and innovation, they also created a structural imbalance of power that is now threatening the sustainability of professional journalism – the backbone of informed citizenship and accountable governance.
It stated that currently, global platforms dominate digital advertising markets.
“Algorithms controlled outside Nigeria determine what Nigerians see, amplify, or ignore
“Nigerian news content is monetised at scale without proportionate reinvestment in local journalism.
“Revenue that once sustained domestic newsrooms is increasingly extracted offshore.
“This is not a conventional market disruption. It is the emergence of private, transnational gatekeepers over public discourse, operating beyond the effective reach of national democratic accountability,” the NPO said.
According to the NPO, the matter is about the National Security and Social Stability of our country.
“For Nigeria, the consequences extend far beyond media economics.
“In a multi-ethnic, multi-religious federation, credible journalism plays a stabilising role. When trusted news institutions weaken, misinformation, disinformation, and digitally manipulated narratives expand unchecked, fueling polarisation, grievance mobilisation, and insecurity.
“No counterterrorism, policing, or intelligence framework can fully compensate for a collapsed information order.
“Elections, public accountability, and citizen participation depend on reliable information. When professional journalism is displaced by algorithmic virality, democratic processes become vulnerable to distortion, foreign influence, and coordinated falsehoods.
“Press freedom is not sustained solely by constitutional guarantees. It requires economic independence. A press that struggles to pay salaries, fund investigations, and continues to face the headwinds of rising production costs and the challenge of retaining talent is, in effect, unfree, regardless of legal protections,” the group stated.
It also stated, “The erosion of journalism revenue is already translating into newsroom contraction, job losses, and declining professional standards. This represents a loss of skilled labour, institutional memory, and national capacity that cannot be easily rebuilt.
“Professional journalism is not merely a commercial activity. It is strategic civic infrastructure, comparable in importance to education, public health, and the judiciary.
“Its outputs – verified facts, investigative scrutiny, balanced reporting – are public goods. Yet the current digital market structure allows global platforms to extract disproportionate value from this public good while weakening its producers.
“This asymmetry undermines the long-term resilience of Nigeria’s information ecosystem.”
The group stated that Nigeria would not be acting in isolation since global precedents abound.
It stated: Leading democracies – facing similar challenges – have concluded that non-intervention is no longer a neutral option:
“The European Union and the United Kingdom have adopted proactive competition and digital market rules to curb gatekeeper dominance.
“Australia introduced a structured bargaining framework that restored balance without stifling innovation.
“Canada enacted legislation mandating compensation for news content, securing long-term funding for domestic journalism.
“South Africa, following a rigorous competition inquiry, has moved decisively from diagnosis to enforceable remedies.
“These actions demonstrate a clear global consensus: sovereign states must protect the integrity of their information systems.”
The NPO said that a Nigerian solution, anchored in law and collaboration would be appropriate.
“The NPO respectfully urges the Presidency and the National Assembly to adopt a measured, Nigerian-designed framework – whether through existing digital legislation or targeted amendments – that: recognises journalism as a public-interest activity, corrects extreme bargaining power imbalances, ensures fair remuneration for Nigerian news content, preserves innovation, competition, and consumer choice.
“Nigeria already has capable institutions – the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) – with statutory authority to enforce proportionate remedies, including penalties for abuse of dominance and for refusal to negotiate in good faith.
“The objective is market correction,” the NPO said.
According to the group, this appeal is not a request for protectionism.
“It is a call for strategic leadership to ensure that Nigeria’s democratic conversation is not quietly outsourced to opaque commercial algorithms beyond national control.
“The cost of inaction will not be borne solely by publishers, broadcasters, or journalists. It will be paid in weakened institutions, diminished public trust, rising misinformation, and a more fragile national cohesion.
“History will judge this generation of leaders by whether it recognised the importance of information sovereignty early enough to act.
“Protecting the Nigerian press is not an industry rescue – it is an investment in national stability, democratic durability, and Nigeria’s standing as a serious constitutional democracy,” the group stated.
The NPO also stated its readiness to collaborate with the Federal Government, the National Assembly, regulators, broadcasters, editors, civil society, and technology companies “to design a fair, forward-looking, and Nigerian solution.”
The statement was endorsed by Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru (NPAN President), Mr. Eze Anaba (NGE, President), Comrade Salihu Abdulhamid Dembos (BON, Chairman), Danlami Nmodu (GOCOP, President), and Comrade Alhassan Yahaya (NUJ, President).
By Dianabasi Effiong
