Global technology companies operating in Nigeria are facing fresh regulatory scrutiny after President Bola Tinubu directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate Meta, Alphabet-owned Google, X and several generative AI platforms over claims their business practices are harming the country’s media industry.
The move followed a joint petition to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), a coalition of 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 directive was relayed to the FCCPC through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris. According to the commission, the inquiry could reshape the relationship between global digital platforms and Nigeria’s media sector, which has long complained of shrinking revenues and the uncompensated use of its content.
In a statement released on Monday, FCCPC Director of Corporate Affairs Ondaje Ijagwu said the investigation would focus on Meta, Alphabet, X and certain generative AI platforms operating in Nigeria. The petitioners allege the companies have engaged in practices that distort competition, threaten the financial viability of Nigerian news organisations and undermine the rights of publishers and content creators.
A major focus of the probe is the use of AI. Investigators will examine claims that Nigerian news articles, broadcast material and other original journalism have been scraped, ingested or commercially used without permission to train generative AI models. They will also assess whether publishers had any meaningful opportunity to negotiate payment for the use of their content.
FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Tunji Bello stressed that the inquiry is intended to establish the facts, not presume guilt.
“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.”
The commission will determine whether any of the alleged conduct violates the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or other relevant laws.
The investigation comes after an earlier clash between Meta and Nigerian regulators. In 2025, the FCCPC secured a tribunal ruling upholding a $220 million penalty against the company over alleged breaches of Nigeria’s consumer and data protection laws. Meta has appealed that decision.
Nigeria is also following a broader global trend of increased scrutiny of Big Tech. The FCCPC pointed to South Africa, where Google agreed, after a Competition Commission investigation, to pay local news publishers about R688 million (roughly $40 million) annually for three to five years. Nigerian media organisations are expected to watch that outcome closely as the local investigation progresses.
Pressure on major technology firms has been building beyond the NPO’s petition. In March, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) urged the FCCPC to investigate Google, Meta, Apple, Microsoft’s Bing, X, TikTok, Amazon and YouTube. The group argued that the companies’ business models and algorithms were harming Nigerians’ rights, distorting the country’s digital economy, and collecting and monetising large volumes of personal data without sufficiently clear consent.
If the FCCPC finds evidence of anti-competitive conduct, the investigation could become one of Nigeria’s most significant regulatory actions against Big Tech. It could also reshape how global technology companies and AI developers access, use and compensate African publishers for their news content.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah