Bosun Tijani Orders NCC, NITDA, NDPC to Defer Digital Platforms Regulations

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to defer the implementation or enforcement of their regulations relating to internet platforms, online intermediaries or other cross-cutting digital economy matters, pending the conclusion of the Ministry’s policy harmonisation exercise.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to defer the implementation or enforcement of their regulations relating to internet platforms, online intermediaries or other cross-cutting digital economy matters, pending the conclusion of the Ministry’s policy harmonisation exercise.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Minister on Tuesday and made available to Nairametrics.

According to the statement, Minister Tijani issued the directive after a high-level strategic meeting with the leadership of the agencies.

What the Minister is saying

At the meeting, it was recognised that Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital economy has naturally created areas where the statutory responsibilities of sector regulators intersect.

He added that while each institution possesses clearly defined mandates under its enabling legislation, the convergence of telecommunications, digital platforms, artificial intelligence, online safety and data governance requires a coordinated whole-of-government approach to policy development and implementation.

The Minister stressed that regulatory coordination is essential both to preserving legal certainty and to promoting investment, innovation, consumer confidence and Nigeria’s long-term competitiveness as Africa’s leading digital economy.

Following the deliberations, the Minister issued the following policy directives:

• The existing regulatory status quo shall be maintained with respect to matters relating to internet platforms, online intermediaries and other cross-cutting digital economy issues currently undergoing inter-agency policy harmonisation under the Ministry’s coordination.
• Relevant agencies are to defer the implementation or enforcement of any recently issued regulation, code, guideline, framework, directive or administrative requirement relating to internet platforms, online intermediaries or other cross-cutting digital economy matters, to the extent that such provisions concern areas currently undergoing policy harmonisation under the Ministry’s coordination.
• The above direction is without prejudice to the statutory responsibilities of the respective institutions. Accordingly, all other provisions of existing regulations, guidelines, codes and directives that fall squarely within the express mandates of the relevant agencies under extant laws shall remain fully operational and enforceable, provided they are consistent with the policy direction issued by the Honourable Minister.
• The Ministry shall establish a Joint Technical Coordination Committee comprising representatives of the Nigerian Communications Commission, the National Information Technology Development Agency and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, under the leadership of the Office of the Honourable Minister.

More insights

The Minister disclosed that the Committee will coordinate technical engagements, undertake broad consultations with industry, civil society, academia and other stakeholders, and develop recommendations for a harmonised national policy and governance framework.

The Ministry clarified that the objective of the harmonisation exercise is not to diminish the statutory mandates of any institution but to ensure that the government speaks with one coherent voice on cross-cutting digital economy issues through a coordinated, predictable and future-ready regulatory framework.

The Minister said the Ministry will collaborate with all relevant institutions and stakeholders to develop aligned policies that protect citizens, foster innovation, strengthen digital trust and position Nigeria for sustained leadership in the global digital economy.

What you should know

The development comes less than 24 hours after the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) announced that it had obtained a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to investigate major global technology companies and generative artificial intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the exploitation of news content belonging to Nigerian media organisations.

The directive is said to have been conveyed to the FCCPC in a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.

According to the FCCPC’s recent statement, its investigation will focus on major technology companies, including Meta, Alphabet (Google’s parent company), X (formerly Twitter), as well as generative AI platforms operating in Nigeria.