Chairman, House Committee on Justice, Hon. Olumide Osoba, on Monday, reaffirmed the determination of the National Assembly to ensure passage of the Child Online Access Protection Bill (2023) within the next three months.
Describing the bill as a national emergency for digital safety, Osoba said, “The internet has become a space where children encounter daily harm; every sector needs to play its part in building a culture of online responsibility.”
His assurance came on a day a new Gatefield State of Online Harm in Nigeria report revealed the scale of the digital menace in the country.
The report disclosed that 50 per cent of users experienced online harms regularly while 90 per cent of children faced online risks.
The findings were unveiled at the Gatefield Child Online Safety Forum, convened in Abuja, with support from Paradigm Initiative and Luminate. The gathering brought together policymakers, regulators, and civil society organisations to address the growing threat of online harm.
Speaking at the forum, the lawmaker, who sponsored the bill, said, “After COVID, the House sat and discussed all that we witnessed. We saw how our children were exposed to predators, and the figures show that 90 per cent of our children are victims — which should scare everyone.”
Essentially, the proposed legislation establishes a legal framework for safeguarding minors in digital environments, and mandates the prompt removal of illegal content, platform accountability, and penalties for non-compliance by internet service providers and digital platforms.
Osoba said, “For every child we fail to protect, a digital predator succeeds. We must create a system that empowers us.”
In her remarks, Senior Programmes Officer at Paradigm Initiative, Khadijah El Usman, described the issue as “both an urgent and moral obligation.”
Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, stressed that the bill will set new standards for responsible data handling and child protection online.
Ojukwu urged stronger accountability from global tech platforms.
Experts said the country needed coordinated action on platform accountability, digital literacy, and regulation.
Key recommendations called on tech platforms to employ local moderators and face real penalties for failing to act on harmful content; integrating digital literacy into school curricula to help children recognise scams, understand algorithms, and protect privacy; and establish a Digital Citizens Charter to define online rights and responsibilities.
Other recommendations included clarifying and updating the Cybercrimes Act while fast-tracking the Child Online Access Protection Bill (2023).
Presenting the new data, Advocacy Lead at Gatefield, Shirley Ewang Olanrewaju, stated that the lack of platform accountability continued to create real-world harm.
The report, which surveyed over 500 Nigerian internet users, also established that 58 per cent of online harms targeted women, while 31 per cent reported that harmful content online was never removed. The report alleged that 34 per cent of online harms occurred on X (formerly Twitter).
Olanrewaju emphasised the need for Nigeria to regulate online spaces effectively without infringing on freedom of expression.
Insights and Analytics Lead at Gatefield, Farida Adamu, said, “An entire generation is navigating online threats without safeguards. Every day we delay, more children face preventable harm.”
Experts stressed that as Nigeria positioned itself to lead Africa in digital safety reform, the swift passage of the bill could mark a turning point for child protection in the digital age.
James Emejo
