The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) has called on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to urgently adopt regulatory measures to protect Nigeria’s information sovereignty, warning that continued dominance of global digital platforms poses serious risks to journalism, democratic governance, and national security.
In a position paper jointly signed by leaders of major media and journalism bodies, the NPO said Nigeria is at a “critical inflexion point” in its democratic and digital evolution, where decisions taken by political leaders will determine the future of the press and the stability of the country’s information ecosystem.
The NPO is an umbrella body comprising 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).
According to the organisation, the rapid rise of global digital platforms has fundamentally altered Nigeria’s information environment, creating what it described as a structural imbalance of power that threatens the survival of professional journalism.
“Global platforms now dominate digital advertising markets, while algorithms controlled outside Nigeria determine what Nigerians see, amplify or ignore,” the NPO said. “At the same time, Nigerian news content is monetised at scale without proportionate reinvestment in local journalism, with revenues increasingly extracted offshore.”
The organisation warned that this trend goes beyond market disruption, describing it as the emergence of private, transnational gatekeepers over public discourse, operating beyond effective national democratic accountability.
The NPO said the implications are far-reaching, particularly for a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country like Nigeria. It noted that credible journalism plays a stabilising role in promoting social cohesion and internal security, adding that the weakening of trusted news institutions allows misinformation and disinformation to thrive.
“No counterterrorism, policing, or intelligence framework can fully compensate for a collapsed information order,” the group stated.
On democratic governance, the NPO cautioned that elections and public accountability depend on reliable information, warning that algorithm-driven virality could expose Nigeria’s democratic processes to distortion, foreign influence and coordinated falsehoods.
The organisation also linked press freedom to economic viability, arguing that constitutional guarantees alone are insufficient if media organisations lack the resources to pay salaries, fund investigations, and retain professional talent amid rising costs.
It further raised concerns about job losses and declining professional standards in newsrooms, describing the erosion of journalism revenue as a loss of skilled labour and institutional memory that would be difficult to rebuild.
Describing journalism as “strategic national infrastructure,” the NPO said verified reporting, investigative scrutiny and balanced coverage are public goods essential to national development, comparable to education, public health and the judiciary.
The organisation pointed to global precedents, noting that countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, members of the European Union and South Africa have introduced regulatory frameworks to address the dominance of digital gatekeepers and ensure fair compensation for news content.
“Nigeria would not be acting in isolation,” the NPO said, adding that there is a growing global consensus that sovereign states must protect the integrity of their information systems.
As part of its recommendations, the NPO urged the Presidency and the National Assembly to adopt a Nigerian-designed legal framework that recognises journalism as a public-interest activity, corrects bargaining power imbalances, and ensures fair remuneration for Nigerian news content, while preserving innovation and competition.
It noted that existing institutions such as the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) already have the statutory powers to enforce proportionate remedies against abuse of dominance and refusal to negotiate in good faith.
“This is not a call for protectionism,” the organisation said. “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 NPO warned that the cost of inaction would be borne not only by media organisations but by the country as a whole, through weakened institutions, diminished public trust, rising misinformation and fragile national cohesion.
“Protecting the Nigerian press is not an industry rescue; it is an investment in national stability, democratic durability, and Nigeria’s standing as a constitutional democracy,” the statement said.
The position paper was signed by Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru, President of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria; Mr Eze Anaba, President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors; Comrade Salihu Abdulhamid Dembos, Chairman of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria; Danlami Nmodu, President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers; and Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists.
The organisation said it remains ready to collaborate with the Federal Government, the National Assembly, regulators, civil society and technology companies to develop what it described as a fair, forward-looking and distinctly Nigerian solution.
