Social media in Nigeria has never just been about memes and dance challenges. It is where politics, protest, misinformation, and community all collide. And now, it is also where one of the biggest regulatory crackdowns in Africa is unfolding.
According to Nigeria’s newly released 2024 Code of Practice Compliance Report, nearly 59 million harmful posts were deleted last year, while over 13.5 million social media accounts were permanently shut down.
Platforms from TikTok and Instagram to X, Google, and Microsoft were all forced to comply. On the surface, this looks like a technical sweep. In reality, it is part of a much deeper story about how Nigeria wants its digital spaces to function.
For anyone watching closely, this did not come out of nowhere. Social media has been shaping Nigerian life for over a decade, but the real turning point came in 2020 with the #EndSARS protests. Platforms like Twitter became rallying points for young Nigerians demanding reform. That moment revealed both the power of social platforms and their volatility; they could unite, but also amplify misinformation and hate speech at lightning speed.
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The government’s response was swift. By mid-2021, Twitter was banned nationwide, only to be reinstated months later after the Buhari government said the company agreed to register locally, pay taxes, and comply with Nigerian laws. Twitter said it never agreed to any of the demands. Before that, an “Anti-Social Media Bill” had already stirred controversy, with civil society groups warning it could muzzle free speech.
The new Code of Practice is the culmination of those efforts: a rulebook designed to make tech giants answer to Nigerian regulators, not just their global headquarters.
The latest report shows the scale of enforcement. Nearly 755,000 user complaints were filed in 2024. Interestingly, not all takedowns stuck. Over 420,000 posts were restored after appeals, showing that the system is still balancing fairness with regulation.
Officials at NITDA hailed the progress as a “significant step toward building a safer and more responsible digital environment”. They argue that without checks, online harms can easily spill into real-world crises.
But here is the tension. What exactly counts as “harmful content”? Critics fear that vague definitions could silence dissent, especially in a country where online spaces often serve as the last resort for speaking truth to power. The line between curbing abuse and curbing criticism is thin, and Nigerians know it.
So, what does this mean for the average user? It is clear that the digital space is being reshaped into something more tightly controlled, with platforms and regulators in a constant tug-of-war. On one hand, fewer scams, hate messages, and misinformation flooding timelines could make the internet feel safer. On the other hand, the fear of overreach hangs heavy, that the same tools used to delete fake news could also erase uncomfortable truths.
In the end, this is not just about deleted posts or suspended accounts. It is about Nigeria drawing new boundaries for the online world. The next chapter will depend on whether those boundaries protect citizens or police them. Either way, the days of social media as a wild frontier in Nigeria are coming to a close.
