The Missing Mandate: Why Nigeria’s Digital Regulator Neglects Media Literacy in Platform Governance

Abdulquadir Abiola Apaokagi, Abu Zekeri

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital technologies in Nigeria has transformed communi[1]cation, governance, and economic activity. While national policy has prioritised digital infrastructure, innovation, and cybersecurity, Media and Information Literacy (MIL) remains weakly embedded in digital governance frameworks. This paper examines how and why MIL is marginalised within Nigeria’s digital governance architecture, with particular attention to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and related institutions. The research employed a qualitative research design, which incorporated a document analysis of national digital policy documents (2014-2024) and semi-structured interviews with policymakers, civil society actors, and digital policy experts. The results indicate that the digital governance in Nigeria continues to be heavily influenced by techno-economic orientation that puts more emphasis on infrastructural development, as well as market development, rather than human capacity development. The concept of media literacy, when it is stated, is highly consumer-focused and does not center on the abilities of democratic participation and critical engagement. The paper also cites institutional fragmentation, duplication of mandates and poor inter-agency coordination as some of the contributors to the marginalization of MIL in policy frameworks. The study posits that digital governance needs to be transformed to a more holistic approach where access-based approaches are replaced with more comprehensive approaches that incorporate media literacy as an element of digital inclusion. Reconceptualizing MIL as infrastructural, as opposed to an educational add-on, the study proposes concerted efforts in policy responses that would bridge the technology, education, and governance divide, and add to the wider discourses of digital inclusion and information inequality.

Keywords: media and information literacy; digital governance; information inequality; platform governance; digital divide; policy fragmentation.