Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, says the National Assembly is accelerating efforts to modernize Nigeria’s legal framework to protect citizens’ rights in the digital space and safeguard minors from harmful online content.
The Senator, who represents Ogun Central Senatorial District, spoke during a high-level retreat oragnised by Paradigm Initiative, PIN, in collaboration with Avocats Sans Frontières France, ASF France and the Centre for Information Technology and Development, CITAD.
Salisu explained that the retreat was the third major legislative engagement in recent weeks, following earlier sessions on the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill, which has passed public hearing and is ready to be laid before the Senate.
According to him, Nigeria’s rapid transition into a digital society requires urgent reforms to laws that were designed for an analog era.
“When society has moved digital and some of our laws are still analog, there is a need to transform the legal framework for the digital environment,” he said. “Our human rights are well-defined offline, but citizens also deserve clear protections online.”
He noted that the retreat was organized to strengthen lawmakers’ understanding of emerging digital rights issues and to ensure the National Assembly can anticipate the risks, responsibilities, and opportunities of a technology-driven future.
Senator Salisu said the retreat offered legislators valuable exposure to global best practices, particularly through presentations from the European Union, which he described as one of the world’s most advanced jurisdictions in digital regulation.
The EU’s frameworks on data protection, artificial intelligence governance, and digital services regulation, he said, provide important benchmarks for Nigeria.
He pointed out that Nigeria has already made significant progress with the establishment of the Data Protection Commission Act, the advancement of the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill, and ongoing work to repeal and reenact the Cybercrime and Cybersecurity Act.
“We cannot take full advantage of the digital economy if we don’t have sufficient laws that protect citizens and ensure legal clarity for electronic transactions,” he added.
The Senator also highlighted the importance of collaboration between lawmakers and civil society groups, noting that both sides play critical roles in shaping digital rights protections.
“There is often tension between civil society and legislators, but when we pull from both ends, rights protection and national security, we achieve the necessary balance,” he said.
Responding to concerns raised about harmful content accessible to children, Salisu said the issue has become more urgent given Nigeria’s youthful population, where the average age is just 16.9 years.
He described Nigerian children as “digital natives” who often navigate technology more confidently than their parents. He warned that without firm regulation, children remain exposed to sexually explicit content, excessive screen time, dangerous online challenges, and psychological harm.
The Senator called for stricter age-verification systems, regulatory controls to limit prolonged online usage, and clearer standards for parental digital responsibility.
He added that some form of automatic moderation, such as systems that log children off after extended use, may become necessary to protect their development.
“We must protect minors from the psychological and social damage that can come from uncontrolled digital exposure,” he stressed.
