The Nigerian govt begins probe of major technology companies. President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate big technology companies over alleged infringement against Nigerian media organisations.
The president also ordered the probe of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria.
This followed a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which comprises the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
The Federal Government’s position was communicated to the FCCPC in a letter signed by the Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris.
According to a statement signed by the Director, Corporate Affairs of FCCPC, Ondaje Ijagwu, the big techs were accused of anti-competitive practices, unlawful exploitation of news content, and other potentially unfair market conduct.
Specifically, the NPO has become increasingly uncomfortable with major technology companies, including Meta, Alphabet, X (formerly Twitter), and certain Generative AI platforms, citing practices capable of undermining fair competition, commercial viability of Nigerian media organisations, and the legitimate rights of content creators and publishers.
Why the FCCPC is Investigating Big Tech
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Mr. Tunji Bello, while reacting, restated the Commission’s commitment to conducting an independent, transparent, and evidence-based investigation.
He said, “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.”
Bello further added, “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 submitted.
In recent years, concerns have been raised by the Nigerian media industry over the growing impact of certain digital platforms on the sustainability of the country’s news ecosystem. This aligns with overall digital governance reforms in the country, such as building the Nigeria’s data privacy ecosystem to enhance digital safety.
As a result, the FCCPC will determine whether the practices in question constitute a breach of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable law.
The FCCPC had, in the past, investigated Meta, winning a landmark case in 2025 against the tech giant for violations of FCCPA, including data breach. Meta was fined $220m, but it has appealed the fine.
Under the new investigation, areas of interest include allegations of market dominance and potential anti-competitive conduct. Also is the allegation of unauthorised extraction, scraping, ingestion, or commercial utilisation of copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials, and other original journalistic content for the development and training of Generative Artificial Intelligence models.
Moreover, there is concern regarding the lack of equitable commercial engagement between global tech companies and Nigerian news publishers. Central to this is the allegation that affected media organisations have been denied meaningful opportunities to negotiate fair compensation or appropriate commercial arrangements for the use of their journalistic content. Details of their regulatory frameworks are available on the FCCPC official website.
Incidentally, following similar agitation by media organisations in South Africa and investigation by the South African Competition Commission, it was finally negotiated that Google compensate South African news media by R688 million ($40 million) annually for three to five years.
