Developing a Social Media Policy Framework for Nigerian Government Ministries

Government ministries in Nigeria increasingly communicate with citizens and media through social media platforms, yet most operate without formalised social media policies that guide content standards, account security, crisis escalation, and civil servant conduct online. This study developed a practical social media policy framework for federal and state government ministries in Nigeria. A policy development methodology was employed, drawing on document analysis of existing social media policies from ten ministries where available, comparative analysis of government social media policies from Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, and the United Kingdom, and structured interviews with 20 government communications and digital media officers from six federal ministries and four state government communications departments. Gap analysis identified five critical policy dimensions absent from most Nigerian government social media frameworks: account ownership and access control, content approval authority and workflows, crisis communication activation procedures, personal versus official account boundaries for civil servants, and accessibility requirements for audiences with disabilities. The developed policy framework covers all five dimensions with adaptable templates for ministerial customisation. A simplified one-page social media conduct guide for civil servants and a ministerial social media audit tool are included as implementation resources. Expert review by twelve government communication professionals and legal advisers confirmed the framework's feasibility within the Nigerian Public Service Rules context. The study recommends the Federal Civil Service Commission adopt the framework as the basis for a National Government Social Media Policy.

Keywords: social media policy, government communication, Nigerian ministries, digital governance, policy framework