A coalition of concerned Nigerian mothers, civil society organisations, educators, and digital rights advocates is demanding that the National Assembly expedite action and urgently pass the Child Online Protection Bill to safeguard the digital lives of over 36 million Nigerian children.
The advocates, under the banner of the #SaferInternetForNaijaKids campaign, called on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, and other lawmakers to act swiftly in addressing the growing crisis of online child sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, and exposure to harmful content.
The bill, which is currently awaiting legislative consideration, seeks to create enforceable protections and establish accountability mechanisms for platforms that host harmful online material.
It also aims to curb the alarming rise in cyber threats targeting children in Nigeria.
During the peaceful march to the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Tuesday, the advocates carried placards with messages such as “Protect Nigerian children from online violence,” “Protect my child from online pornography,” and “Dear Speaker, pass the Online Child Protection Bill.”
The coalition backing the #SaferInternetForNaijaKids campaign, including Gatefield Impact, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Humangle, Tech HER, and others, called on lawmakers to rise to the occasion and enact a legal framework that addresses the urgent digital safety needs of Nigerian children.
The demonstrators pointed to progress in other African countries, such as Kenya, South Africa, and Namibia that have enacted legislative protections for children online.
“These global standards reflect a growing international consensus that protecting children online is a non-negotiable public duty,” the coalition stated.
Speaking during the demonstration, Shirley Ewang, a Spokesperson for the coalition, underscored the gravity of the situation, saying, “These are not numbers. They are children, your daughters, sons, nieces, and nephews. We fail them by continuing to let the internet remain a playground for predators.”
Ewang cited a joint survey by MTN and IPSOS, which found that more than half of Nigerian children have experienced online sexual harassment, cyberbullying, or exploitation.
Despite this, the coalition said Nigeria’s legal and regulatory systems have failed to respond adequately.
The group noted that with internet use now deeply woven into childhood experiences, the threats children face are both real and escalating.
According to recent findings shared by the coalition, 90% of Nigerian children aged 4 to 16 have encountered at least one online risk, ranging from grooming and privacy violations to exposure to explicit or violent content.
They also pointed out that only one in ten cases of online child abuse results in prosecution, according to data from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
Furthermore, according to the coalition, 80% of abusive online content remains accessible for more than 48 hours, allowing repeated exploitation of child victims.
The Internet Watch Foundation, according to the concerned advocates, also reports that over 70% of such materials are hosted on platforms frequented by children, including social media and encrypted messaging apps.
Beyond lawmakers, the coalition urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to enforce stricter content moderation rules.
The Federal Ministry of Education was also called upon to incorporate digital safety training into school curricula to equip children with the skills to navigate online spaces safely.
Hannatu Asheloge, an advocate at Gatefield and Spokesperson for the Luminate-supported #FWDwithFacts Campaign, also emphasised the urgency of the situation, saying, “This is a turning point. Either we act now, or we continue to leave millions of children at the mercy of a dangerous internet.”