FG To Regulate Netflix And Any Other Streaming Services ; Lai Mohammed

The Federal Government has hinted at new moves to introduce censorship laws and regulatory framework for Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming services and content providers in Nigeria.⁣
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According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed in a two-day conference organized by the NFVCB in Lagos, shared that streaming services could be used as a medium to “cause chaos” and undermine the country’s democratic processes hence the need for regulation.⁣
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Represented by Comfort Ajiboye, Director, Information, and Technology in the ministry, Mohammed stressed that the increased demand for streaming services in Nigeria grew amid the pandemic.⁣

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In his opening address, the NFVCB director Adedayo Thomas said that the conference was in a bid to bring together stakeholders in a conversation to create policies and regulations for streaming services in the country.⁣
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“With over 50 percent internet penetration, it has become imperative to convene this conference to bring together stakeholders and legislators in a conversation to come up with crystal policies on the regulation of streamers and content providers,” Thomas said.⁣
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While reiterating the board’s promise to not stifle creativity, Thomas defended the government’s new approach by stating that streaming service providers were unable to self-regulate hence the need for regulatory policies.⁣
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“The goal of regulation is not to stifle creativity but to create sanity and encourage healthy competition for socio-economic gains,” he added.⁣
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The FG’s latest move follows the controversial ban of the social media platform, Twitter.⁣