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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate global technology companies, including Meta, Google’s parent company Alphabet, and X (formerly Twitter), over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the exploitation of news content belonging to Nigerian media organisations.
The directive which was conveyed to the FCCPC in a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, also directed that the investigation should also cover Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria
This follows a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
The petition accused major technology companies of engaging in practices that undermine fair competition, threaten the commercial sustainability of Nigerian media organisations, and infringe on the rights of publishers and content creators through the unauthorised use of journalistic content.
Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said the Commission would conduct an independent, transparent and evidence-based investigation to determine whether any of the alleged practices violate the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable law.
He stressed that the investigation should not be interpreted as a presumption of wrongdoing by any company. “We recognise the strategic importance of the media to Nigeria’s democracy and the equally significant role of technology in driving innovation and economic growth.
“Our responsibility is to objectively determine the facts and ensure that competition within the digital ecosystem remains fair, transparent and consistent with Nigerian law. This inquiry is not directed at any entity by presumption of wrongdoing. Rather, it is an opportunity to carefully examine the facts, hear from all affected parties, and determine whether any conduct has resulted in anti-competitive outcomes or unfair business practices.
“Every party will be accorded a fair opportunity to present relevant information before any conclusions are reached,” he said.
The Commission noted that investigators will examine allegations of abuse of market dominance and other anti-competitive conduct by the technology firms. “The probe will also focus on claims that copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials and other original journalistic content have been extracted, scraped, ingested or commercially used without authorisation to develop and train Generative AI models.”
He said another key issue is the alleged failure of the global technology companies to establish fair commercial arrangements with Nigerian news publishers, including providing equitable compensation for the use of their content.
The FCCPC EVC said the development marks one of the most significant regulatory actions involving Nigeria’s digital economy and media industry, as publishers increasingly express concern over the growing influence of global technology platforms on the country’s news ecosystem.
He recalled that the FCCPC had previously investigated Meta and, in 2025, secured a landmark judgment against the company over violations of the FCCPA, including data privacy breaches, resulting in a $220 million fine even though Meta has appealed the decision.
The Commission further noted that similar concerns raised by media organisations in South Africa led to an investigation by the South African Competition Commission, which culminated in an agreement requiring Google to compensate South African news media with R688 million (about $40 million) annually for between three and five years.
