Pressure is mounting on President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action to reclaim Nigeria’s information sovereignty as global technology giants tighten their grip on the country’s digital and media ecosystem.
Global platforms such as Google and Meta are increasingly accused of turning Nigeria’s once-thriving media landscape into a digital colony—dominating advertising revenues, controlling news visibility through opaque algorithms, and profiting massively from local content without fair compensation to its creators.
The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) has raised alarm over what it describes as an existential threat to Nigeria’s information ecosystem. According to the body, failure to regulate Big Tech could undermine democracy, weaken citizens’ ability to demand accountable governance, and erode social cohesion and national security.
In a recent joint statement, leaders of major media industry bodies—Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)—warned that Nigeria has reached a “critical inflection point.”
They cautioned that the country can no longer afford to outsource its public discourse to unregulated transnational digital gatekeepers whose primary motivation is profit, not public interest.
Industry leaders argue that the unchecked dominance of Big Tech has coincided with growing distrust in traditional media, the rise of unregulated content creators shaping public narratives—often without regard for accuracy—and increasingly toxic online exchanges that damage Nigeria’s social fabric.
This shift, they note, did not happen overnight. Traditional media once thrived on advertising revenues that funded investigative journalism and accountability reporting. Influential journalists and thinkers shaped national discourse and held successive governments—military and civilian—to account.
That model has been severely disrupted. Free digital platforms powered by addictive algorithms have captured audience attention and advertising spend. Industry forecasts suggest Big Tech now controls over 80 per cent of global digital advertising revenue, leaving local newsrooms financially starved.
In Nigeria, platforms such as Google News and Meta’s social feeds monetise local journalism at scale, while media organisations struggle to pay salaries, lose experienced professionals, and suffer declining investigative capacity. Increasingly, algorithms—not editors—determine what Nigerians see online, amplifying sensational content over verified facts.
The consequences, media leaders warn, are far-reaching. A weakened press creates fertile ground for misinformation, ethnic and religious polarisation, electoral manipulation, and insecurity—challenges that security operations alone cannot resolve.
The NPO has described journalism as “strategic national infrastructure,” comparable to public health, because of its role in delivering reliable information to citizens. However, economic pressures, shrinking newsrooms, and job losses have rendered the press “effectively unfree,” despite constitutional protections.
Globally, the challenge is intensifying as AI-driven “answer engines” and low-quality content sites further dilute professional journalism. The Reuters Institute has warned that by 2026, platforms may increasingly prioritise influencers over credible media institutions.
Several countries have already taken firm action. Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code forced Google and Meta to negotiate payments for news content. South Africa’s Competition Commission compelled Google to commit $41 million over five years to support local media and improve algorithm transparency. Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom are enforcing antitrust and transparency measures to address similar imbalances.
Media stakeholders insist these actions are not protectionist but strategic assertions of national sovereignty, ensuring that global platforms reinvest in local journalism ecosystems.
They are now calling on Nigerian authorities to act swiftly. The National Assembly is urged to develop a tailored legal framework—through new legislation or amendments—recognising journalism as a public-interest service, mandating fair compensation for third-party content, and enforcing algorithmic transparency.
Regulatory bodies such as the FCCPC and NCC are also being urged to demand stronger oversight, including local data storage requirements and policies that encourage direct subscription and hybrid revenue models to restore value to local media.
According to stakeholders, this is not a bailout but an investment in democratic resilience.
As debates over digital sovereignty intensify worldwide, observers warn that Nigeria’s failure to act could deepen what they describe as “digital colonialism”—a trend that threatens not only the media but the stability of the Nigerian state itself.
The call is clear: Nigeria must reclaim control of its digital space, protect its media institutions, and rein in the unchecked power of Big Tech in an era increasingly shaped by misinformation, manipulation, and algorithmic influence.
