Social Media Regulation and Autocratisation in Nigeria under Buhari
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Keywords
Résumé
The digital revolution has exponentially transformed all facets of life, including governance systems across states and citizens’ engagement in contemporary contexts. It has occasioned seamless platforms for the expression of dissents and critique of governments in demand for good governance and accountability. Social media is empowering previously voiceless citizens with the freedom to express themselves and participate in public discourse. Unfortunately, the disposition of the government in regulating the new media space goes beyond gagging the press to repression. The state is gradually sinking into the swamp of authoritarianism characterized by numerous reactionary complexes. This paper, therefore, attempts a polemical analysis of shrinking civic space and freedom of expression manifesting through the social media regulation bill as a major indicator of autocratisation in Nigeria. It also sees excessive regulation of social media as a policy which could, when merged with a suppressed judiciary and weak legislature, result in authoritarian rule in Nigeria. Secondary data sources were utilized for the study, which argues that disobedience to court orders and the use of state institutions to suppress political opposition contribute to the erosion of democracy in Nigeria. The paper contends that, despite the widespread penetration and usage of the internet and social media in Nigeria, the Buhari administration has adopted authoritarian practices while maintaining a stance on fundamental rights and citizens’ participation in public affairs. Freedom of expression, speech and media independence are greatly under siege.
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Références
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Bakare, T. (2020, February 1). Despite evidence, Lai Mohammed denies existence of ‘social media bill’. The Guardian. https://guardian.ng/news/nigeria/national/despite- evidence-lai-mohammed-denies-existence-of-social-media-bill/
Bakshy, E., Messing, S., & Adamic, L. A. (2015). Exposure to ideologically diverse news and opinion on Facebook. Science, 348(6239), 1130– 1132. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa1160
Bekafigo, M. A., & McBride, A. (2013). Who tweets about politics? Political participation of Twitter users during the 2011 gubernatorial elections. Social Science Computer Review, 31(5), 625–643. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439313490405
Biagi, S. (2013). Media impact: An introduction to mass media (10thEd.). Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning
Birch, S., Daxecker, U., & Höglund, K. (2020). Electoral violence: An introduction. Journal of Peace Research, 57(1), 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343319889657
Brooker, P. (2014). Non-democratic regimes (3rd ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-38253-5
Buhari, M. (2019, October 1). Independence Day Speech. Punch. Retrieved at https://punchng.com/full- text-independence-day-speech-by-president-buhari/
Busari, K. (2019, March 20). Buhari declines assent to digital rights bill, four others. Premium Times. Retrieved at https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/321189-buhari- declines-assent-to-digital-rights-bill-four-others.html
Cassani, A., & Tomini, L. (2019) What autocratization is. In A. Cassani and L. Tomini (Eds.), Autocratization in post-Cold War Political Regimes: Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03125-1
Carr, C. T., & Hayes, R. A. (2015). Social media: Defining, developing, and divining. Atlantic Journal of Communication, 23(1), 46–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/15456870.2015.972282
Chiamogu, A. P., Obikeze, O. S. A., & Chiamogu, U. P., & Odikpo, E. (2021). Social media and group consciousness in Nigeria: Appraising the prevalence of socio-political protests. Open Journal of Political Science, 11(4), 682-696. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojps.2021.114043
Chiefe, U. (2019, October 4). President Buhari’s Independence Day speech may suggest his stance on internet censorship in Nigeria. Techpoint Africa. Retrieved at https://techpoint.africa/2019/10/04/buhari-internet-censorship-nigeria/
Cohen-Almagor, R. (2017). J. S. Mill’s boundaries of freedom of expression: A critique. Philosophy, 92(4), 565-596. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031819117000213.
Dierksmeier, C. (2019). Qualitative freedom: autonomy in cosmopolitan responsibility. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04723-8
D’Arcy, P. (2017, August 11). Why freedom of the press is more important now than ever. IDEAS.TED.COM. Retrieved at https://ideas.ted.com/why-freedom-of-the-press-is-more- important-now-than-ever/
Ekwealor, V. (2019, March 27). Nigeria’s president refused to sign its digital rights bill, what happens now? Techpoint Africa. Retrieved at https://techpoint.africa/2019/03/27/nigerian- president-declines-digital-rights-bill-assent/
Fasina, F., & Gana, M. A. (2019). Cybercrime, digital rights, and freedom in Nigeria: A critical review. Journal of African Media Studies, 11(2), 187-204
Freedom House. (2020). Freedom in the world 2020: A Leaderless struggle for democracy. Freedom House
Gilbert, P. (2021, February 16). Nigerian internet and mobile penetration grow. Connecting Africa. Retrieved at http://www.connectingafrica.com/author.asp?section_id=761&doc_id=767400
Graber, D. A. (2015). Freedom of the press: Theories and realities. Oxford Handbooks Online. Retrieved at https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199793471.013.80
Ibezim-Ohaeri, V. (2017). Confronting closing civic spaces in Nigeria. SUR 26, 14(26), 129 - 140
Jimada, U. (2019). Social media in the public sphere of accountability in Nigeria. Global Media Journal, 17(32), 178
Kalu, U. C. (2018). Separation of powers in Nigeria: An anatomy of power convergences and divergences. Nnamdi Azikiwe University Journal of International Law and Jurisprudence (NAUJILJ), 9(1), 116-121
Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1): 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003
Kemp, S. (2021). Digital 2021: Nigeria. DataReportal. Retrieved at https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2021-nigeria
Love, K. (2021, January 4). The year in press freedom: 10 urgent cases of journalism under attack. Forbes. Retrieved at https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinelove/2021/01/04/the-year-in- press-freedom-10-urgent-cases-of-journalism-under-attack/?sh=117d88256d0d
Luhrmann, A., & Lindberg, S. I. (2019). A third wave of autocratization is here: What is new about it? Democratization, 26(7), 1095–1113. Retrieved at https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2019.1582029.
Mohammed, A. (2020). Regulating social media in Nigeria: A quantitative perception study. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346717844
Ndinojuo, B. C. E. & Udoudo, A. (2018). A converted democrat? Profiling the attacks on Nigerian journalists during Buhari’s civilian regime (2015-2017). Covenant Journal of Communication (CJOC), 5(1), 1-21.
Ogunyemi, O. (2020). The Digital Rights and Freedom Bill in Nigeria: A critique of its progress and challenges. International Journal of Law and Politics, 8(2), 134-150
Okoro, N., & Odii, C. (2013). Freedom of information: Legislation, implementation and enforcement. In N. Okoro (ed.), Contemporary readings in media and communication studies. Lagos: St Benedette publishers.
Olaniran, B., & Williams, I. (2020). Social media effects: Hijacking democracy and civility in civic engagement. In J. Jones and M. Trice (Eds.), Platforms, Protests, and the Challenge of Networked Democracy, Rhetoric, Politics and Society, pp. 77-94. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36525-7_5
Paul, E. (2019, November 28). Everything you need to know about Nigeria’s social media bill and what you can do about it. Techpoint Africa. Retrieved at https://techpoint.africa/2019/11/28/nigerias-social-media-bill/
Pelke, L., & Criossant, A. (2021). Conceptualizing and measuring autocratization episodes. Swiss Political Science Review. Retrieved at https://doi.org/10.1111/spsr.12437
Prodanova, J., & Looy, A. V, (2018). A Systematic literature review of the use of social media for business process management. In E. Teniente and M. Weidlich (Eds.), BPM 2017 Workshops, LNBIP 308, (pp. 403–414). Retrieved at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319- 74030-0_31
Raman, S. (2020, June 29). Attacks on the press track a democratic backslide: As press freedom declines globally, the United States must reckon with its own diminishment. Foreign Policy. Retrieved at https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/29/press-freedom-decline-attacks- george-floyd-protests/
Sampson, S. (2018). Autocratisation in Africa: The Nigerian case. African Governance Review, 12(4), 209-226
Sinclaire, J. K., & Vogus, C. E. (2011). Adoption of social networking sites: an exploratory adaptive structuration perspective for global organizations. Information Technology Management, 12(4), 293-314. Retrieved at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10799-011-0086-5.
Sloss, D. L. (2019, December 5). Weaponization of social media by authoritarian states. Markkula Centre for Applied Ethics. Retrieved at https://www.scu.edu/ethics-spotlight/social- media-and-democracy/weaponization-of-social-media-by-authoritarian-states/
Suntai, D. I., & Targema, T. S. (2017). New media and democracy in Nigeria: An appraisal of the opportunities and threats in the terrain. Brazilian Journal of African Studies, 2(4), 198-209. https://doi.org/10.22456/2448-3923.78013
Svolik, M. (2012). The politics of authoritarian rule. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139176040
Velasquez, A., &Rojas, H. (2017). Political expression on social media: The role of communication competence and expected outcomes. Social media + Society, 3(1), 1- 13. Retrieved at https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305117696521
Ugwueze, I. A., & Ogbodo, D. C. (2020). Media freedom and the authoritarian state: A study of Nigerian press censorship. Journal of African Media Studies, 12(3), 343-360
V-Dem Institute (2021). Autocratization turns viral: Democracy Report 2021. Retrieved at https://www.v- dem.net/files/25/DR%202021.pdf
Agwuegbo, C. (2021). Reclaiming Nigeria’s shrinking online civic space: A collective and sustainable civil society approach to protect liberties. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. https://yaraduafoundation.org/files/Reclaiming%20Nigeria’s%20Shrinking%20Online %20Space.pdf
Akinola, A. R. (2019). Shrinking civic space and the prospects for democracy in Nigeria. Journal of Democracy and Governance, 8(2), 118-135
Bajracharya, S. (2018, January 6). Authoritarian theory of mass communication. Businesstopia. https://www.businesstopia.net/mass-communication/authoritarian- theory-mass-communication
Bakare, T. (2020, February 1). Despite evidence, Lai Mohammed denies existence of ‘social media bill’. The Guardian. https://guardian.ng/news/nigeria/national/despite- evidence-lai-mohammed-denies-existence-of-social-media-bill/
Bakshy, E., Messing, S., & Adamic, L. A. (2015). Exposure to ideologically diverse news and opinion on Facebook. Science, 348(6239), 1130– 1132. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa1160
Bekafigo, M. A., & McBride, A. (2013). Who tweets about politics? Political participation of Twitter users during the 2011 gubernatorial elections. Social Science Computer Review, 31(5), 625–643. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439313490405
Biagi, S. (2013). Media impact: An introduction to mass media (10thEd.). Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning
Birch, S., Daxecker, U., & Höglund, K. (2020). Electoral violence: An introduction. Journal of Peace Research, 57(1), 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343319889657
Brooker, P. (2014). Non-democratic regimes (3rd ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-38253-5
Buhari, M. (2019, October 1). Independence Day Speech. Punch. Retrieved at https://punchng.com/full- text-independence-day-speech-by-president-buhari/
Busari, K. (2019, March 20). Buhari declines assent to digital rights bill, four others. Premium Times. Retrieved at https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/321189-buhari- declines-assent-to-digital-rights-bill-four-others.html
Cassani, A., & Tomini, L. (2019) What autocratization is. In A. Cassani and L. Tomini (Eds.), Autocratization in post-Cold War Political Regimes: Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03125-1
Carr, C. T., & Hayes, R. A. (2015). Social media: Defining, developing, and divining. Atlantic Journal of Communication, 23(1), 46–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/15456870.2015.972282
Chiamogu, A. P., Obikeze, O. S. A., & Chiamogu, U. P., & Odikpo, E. (2021). Social media and group consciousness in Nigeria: Appraising the prevalence of socio-political protests. Open Journal of Political Science, 11(4), 682-696. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojps.2021.114043
Chiefe, U. (2019, October 4). President Buhari’s Independence Day speech may suggest his stance on internet censorship in Nigeria. Techpoint Africa. Retrieved at https://techpoint.africa/2019/10/04/buhari-internet-censorship-nigeria/
Cohen-Almagor, R. (2017). J. S. Mill’s boundaries of freedom of expression: A critique. Philosophy, 92(4), 565-596. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031819117000213.
Dierksmeier, C. (2019). Qualitative freedom: autonomy in cosmopolitan responsibility. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04723-8
D’Arcy, P. (2017, August 11). Why freedom of the press is more important now than ever. IDEAS.TED.COM. Retrieved at https://ideas.ted.com/why-freedom-of-the-press-is-more- important-now-than-ever/
Ekwealor, V. (2019, March 27). Nigeria’s president refused to sign its digital rights bill, what happens now? Techpoint Africa. Retrieved at https://techpoint.africa/2019/03/27/nigerian- president-declines-digital-rights-bill-assent/
Fasina, F., & Gana, M. A. (2019). Cybercrime, digital rights, and freedom in Nigeria: A critical review. Journal of African Media Studies, 11(2), 187-204
Freedom House. (2020). Freedom in the world 2020: A Leaderless struggle for democracy. Freedom House
Gilbert, P. (2021, February 16). Nigerian internet and mobile penetration grow. Connecting Africa. Retrieved at http://www.connectingafrica.com/author.asp?section_id=761&doc_id=767400
Graber, D. A. (2015). Freedom of the press: Theories and realities. Oxford Handbooks Online. Retrieved at https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199793471.013.80
Ibezim-Ohaeri, V. (2017). Confronting closing civic spaces in Nigeria. SUR 26, 14(26), 129 - 140
Jimada, U. (2019). Social media in the public sphere of accountability in Nigeria. Global Media Journal, 17(32), 178
Kalu, U. C. (2018). Separation of powers in Nigeria: An anatomy of power convergences and divergences. Nnamdi Azikiwe University Journal of International Law and Jurisprudence (NAUJILJ), 9(1), 116-121
Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1): 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003
Kemp, S. (2021). Digital 2021: Nigeria. DataReportal. Retrieved at https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2021-nigeria
Love, K. (2021, January 4). The year in press freedom: 10 urgent cases of journalism under attack. Forbes. Retrieved at https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinelove/2021/01/04/the-year-in- press-freedom-10-urgent-cases-of-journalism-under-attack/?sh=117d88256d0d
Luhrmann, A., & Lindberg, S. I. (2019). A third wave of autocratization is here: What is new about it? Democratization, 26(7), 1095–1113. Retrieved at https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2019.1582029.
Mohammed, A. (2020). Regulating social media in Nigeria: A quantitative perception study. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346717844
Ndinojuo, B. C. E. & Udoudo, A. (2018). A converted democrat? Profiling the attacks on Nigerian journalists during Buhari’s civilian regime (2015-2017). Covenant Journal of Communication (CJOC), 5(1), 1-21.
Ogunyemi, O. (2020). The Digital Rights and Freedom Bill in Nigeria: A critique of its progress and challenges. International Journal of Law and Politics, 8(2), 134-150
Okoro, N., & Odii, C. (2013). Freedom of information: Legislation, implementation and enforcement. In N. Okoro (ed.), Contemporary readings in media and communication studies. Lagos: St Benedette publishers.
Olaniran, B., & Williams, I. (2020). Social media effects: Hijacking democracy and civility in civic engagement. In J. Jones and M. Trice (Eds.), Platforms, Protests, and the Challenge of Networked Democracy, Rhetoric, Politics and Society, pp. 77-94. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36525-7_5
Paul, E. (2019, November 28). Everything you need to know about Nigeria’s social media bill and what you can do about it. Techpoint Africa. Retrieved at https://techpoint.africa/2019/11/28/nigerias-social-media-bill/
Pelke, L., & Criossant, A. (2021). Conceptualizing and measuring autocratization episodes. Swiss Political Science Review. Retrieved at https://doi.org/10.1111/spsr.12437
Prodanova, J., & Looy, A. V, (2018). A Systematic literature review of the use of social media for business process management. In E. Teniente and M. Weidlich (Eds.), BPM 2017 Workshops, LNBIP 308, (pp. 403–414). Retrieved at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319- 74030-0_31
Raman, S. (2020, June 29). Attacks on the press track a democratic backslide: As press freedom declines globally, the United States must reckon with its own diminishment. Foreign Policy. Retrieved at https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/29/press-freedom-decline-attacks- george-floyd-protests/
Sampson, S. (2018). Autocratisation in Africa: The Nigerian case. African Governance Review, 12(4), 209-226
Sinclaire, J. K., & Vogus, C. E. (2011). Adoption of social networking sites: an exploratory adaptive structuration perspective for global organizations. Information Technology Management, 12(4), 293-314. Retrieved at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10799-011-0086-5.
Sloss, D. L. (2019, December 5). Weaponization of social media by authoritarian states. Markkula Centre for Applied Ethics. Retrieved at https://www.scu.edu/ethics-spotlight/social- media-and-democracy/weaponization-of-social-media-by-authoritarian-states/
Suntai, D. I., & Targema, T. S. (2017). New media and democracy in Nigeria: An appraisal of the opportunities and threats in the terrain. Brazilian Journal of African Studies, 2(4), 198-209. https://doi.org/10.22456/2448-3923.78013
Svolik, M. (2012). The politics of authoritarian rule. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139176040
Velasquez, A., &Rojas, H. (2017). Political expression on social media: The role of communication competence and expected outcomes. Social media + Society, 3(1), 1- 13. Retrieved at https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305117696521
Ugwueze, I. A., & Ogbodo, D. C. (2020). Media freedom and the authoritarian state: A study of Nigerian press censorship. Journal of African Media Studies, 12(3), 343-360
V-Dem Institute (2021). Autocratization turns viral: Democracy Report 2021. Retrieved at https://www.v- dem.net/files/25/DR%202021.pdf
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Social Media Regulation and Autocratisation in Nigeria under Buhari. (2025). Revue Africaine De Science Politique, 13(1), 38-50. https://doi.org/10.36615/szd2s675
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Social Media Regulation and Autocratisation in Nigeria under Buhari. (2025). Revue Africaine De Science Politique, 13(1), 38-50. https://doi.org/10.36615/szd2s675