EBENEZER ADUROKIYA, Warri
The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) has alerted the Federal Government and the National Assembly, on the urgent need for a regulatory framework to safeguard Nigeria’s information sovereignty and protect the survival of professional journalism in the digital age.
In a public-interest statement addressed to the Presidency and federal lawmakers and made available to our correspondent in Warri on Tuesday, the NPO said Nigeria was at a defining moment in its democratic and digital journey, cautioning that decisions taken now would shape the country’s social cohesion, national security and democratic governance for decades to come.
“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 queried.
The NPO, 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 Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), said the rapid rise of global digital platforms had fundamentally altered Nigeria’s information environment.
While acknowledging the role of technology in expanding access and innovation, the organisation warned that global platforms now dominate digital advertising markets, control the flow of information through algorithms designed outside Nigeria, and monetise Nigerian news content without fair reinvestment in local journalism.
“This is not merely a market disruption. It represents the emergence of private, transnational gatekeepers over public discourse, operating beyond effective national democratic accountability,” the statement noted.
According to the NPO, the decline of economically viable journalism poses serious risks to Nigeria’s internal security and social stability.
It noted that in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society, credible journalism plays a critical stabilising role, and its erosion creates fertile ground for misinformation, disinformation and manipulated narratives that can fuel division and insecurity.
The organisation also warned that democratic processes, including elections and public accountability, depend on reliable information.
It stressed that when professional journalism is displaced by algorithm-driven virality, democratic systems become vulnerable to foreign interference, coordinated falsehoods and public manipulation.
Linking press freedom to financial sustainability, the NPO argued that constitutional guarantees alone cannot secure a free press.
“A media industry that cannot sustain its workforce, fund investigations or retain professional talent is effectively unfree,” it said.
The organisation described journalism as strategic national infrastructure, comparable to education, public health and the judiciary, adding that its outputs, verified facts, investigative reporting and balanced analysis, are public goods essential to national stability.
However, it warned that the current digital market structure allows global platforms to extract disproportionate value from these public goods while weakening local newsrooms.
Citing international precedents, the NPO noted that countries such as the United Kingdom, members of the European Union, Australia, Canada and South Africa had all adopted regulatory frameworks to curb digital gatekeeper dominance and restore balance between technology platforms and news producers.
“Nigeria would not be acting in isolation. There is a clear global shift towards protecting information sovereignty and ensuring fair compensation for news content,” the organisation said.
The NPO called on the Federal Government to pursue a Nigerian-designed legal framework, either through existing digital laws or targeted amendments, that recognises journalism as a public-interest activity, addresses extreme bargaining power imbalances and guarantees fair remuneration for Nigerian news content, while maintaining innovation, competition and consumer choice.
It added that regulatory bodies such as the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) already possess the statutory authority to enforce proportionate remedies, including sanctions for abuse of market dominance and refusal to negotiate in good faith.
Describing its appeal as a call for leadership rather than alarm, the NPO warned that failure to act would have far-reaching consequences beyond the media industry.
“The cost of inaction will be paid in weakened institutions, diminished public trust, rising misinformation and fragile national cohesion,” it said.
The organisation concluded by urging decisive action, stating that protecting the Nigerian press was not an industry bailout but “an investment in democratic durability, national stability and Nigeria’s credibility as a constitutional democracy.”
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 Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ.
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