The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) on Tuesday called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to introduce urgent measures safeguarding Nigeria’s media industry from the growing dominance of unregulated international digital platforms.
In a position paper titled “Preserving Nigeria’s Information Sovereignty: Why the Federal Government Must Act to Secure the Nigerian Press in the Digital Age”, the umbrella body, comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), and Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), warned that failure to act could hand control of Nigeria’s information space to foreign corporations.
Signed by NPAN President Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru, NGE President Eze Anaba, BON Chairman Salihu Abdulhamid Dembos, and GOCOP President Danlami Nmodudu, the paper described Nigeria as being at a “critical inflexion point” in its democratic and digital journey.
“Decisions taken now will shape not only the future of journalism but also the strength of Nigeria’s social cohesion, national security, and democratic governance,” the document stated.
The NPO highlighted how platforms such as Google and Meta dominate digital advertising, control algorithms that determine content visibility, monetise Nigerian news without reinvestment, and divert revenues abroad. It warned that this trend is not simply market disruption but the rise of “private, transnational gatekeepers” beyond democratic accountability.
The organisation stressed that weakened journalism undermines national security, fuels misinformation, polarisation, and erodes electoral integrity. It also flagged risks to press freedom, job losses, and the collapse of local newsrooms.
Positioning journalism as “strategic national infrastructure” comparable to education and the judiciary, the NPO criticised global tech firms for extracting value from verified reporting while leaving Nigerian media underfunded.
“No counterterrorism, policing, or intelligence framework can fully compensate for a collapsed information order,” the group warned.
The NPO urged government intervention to ensure the sustainability of Nigeria’s press, protect democratic governance, and secure the country’s information sovereignty in the digital age.
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