By THE Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) has called on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to urgently intervene in what it described as a growing threat to Nigeria’s information sovereignty, warning that the unchecked dominance of global digital platforms could weaken democracy, national security and social cohesion.
In a statement titled “Preserving Nigeria’s Information Sovereignty: Why the Federal Government Must Act to Secure the Nigerian Press in the Digital Age,” the umbrella body for major media stakeholders said Nigeria had reached “a critical inflexion point” in its democratic and digital evolution.
“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?” the organisation asked.
The NPO, which comprises 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), warned that global technology platforms now exercise disproportionate influence over Nigeria’s information space.
It noted that these platforms dominate digital advertising markets, determine what content Nigerians see through algorithms controlled outside the country, and monetise Nigerian news content at scale without proportionate reinvestment in local journalism.
“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 organisation stated.
According to the NPO, the weakening of professional journalism poses serious risks beyond media economics, particularly in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious federation such as Nigeria. It said credible journalism plays a stabilising role, warning that when trusted news institutions decline, misinformation, disinformation and digitally manipulated narratives expand unchecked, fuelling polarisation, grievance mobilisation and insecurity.
On democratic governance, the organisation stressed that elections, public accountability and citizen participation depend on reliable information.
It cautioned that when professional journalism is displaced by algorithm-driven virality, democratic processes become vulnerable to distortion, foreign influence and coordinated falsehoods.
The NPO also linked press freedom to economic viability, arguing that constitutional guarantees alone are insufficient. “Press freedom requires economic independence,” it said, adding that a media sector struggling to pay salaries, fund investigations and retain talent is, in practical terms, unfree.
Describing journalism as strategic national infrastructure, the organisation likened its importance to education, public health and the judiciary. It said the outputs of professional journalism, verified facts, investigative scrutiny and balanced reporting, are public goods, yet the current digital market structure allows global platforms to extract disproportionate value while weakening the institutions that produce them.
The media body pointed to global precedents, noting that several democracies have taken decisive action to address similar challenges. It referenced regulatory measures in the European Union and the United Kingdom, Australia’s structured bargaining framework, Canada’s legislation mandating compensation for news content, and South Africa’s move from competition inquiries to enforceable remedies. These examples, it said, demonstrate a growing international consensus that sovereign states must protect the integrity of their information systems.
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The NPO urged the Presidency and the National Assembly to adopt a measured, Nigerian-designed legal framework, either through existing digital laws or targeted amendments, that recognises journalism as a public-interest activity, corrects extreme bargaining power imbalances and ensures fair remuneration for Nigerian news content, while preserving innovation, competition and consumer choice.
It noted that institutions such as the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) already possess statutory authority to enforce proportionate remedies, including penalties for abuse of dominance and refusal to negotiate in good faith.
Stressing that its appeal was not for protectionism, the organisation described it as “a call for strategic leadership” to ensure Nigeria’s democratic conversation is not quietly outsourced to opaque commercial algorithms beyond national control.
It warned that the cost of inaction would extend beyond the media industry to weakened institutions, diminished public trust, rising misinformation and fragile national cohesion.
Concluding, the NPO said history would judge Nigeria’s leaders by whether they 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 organisation said, adding that it stands ready to collaborate with the Federal Government, the National Assembly, regulators, civil society and technology companies to design a fair, forward-looking Nigerian solution.
The statement was jointly 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; Mr Danlami Nmodu, President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers; and Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists.
