Lucky Obukohwo Reporting
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate global technology giants, including Meta, Alphabet (Google’s parent company), and X (formerly Twitter), over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the exploitation of news content produced by Nigerian media organisations.
The directive, conveyed in a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, also mandates the FCCPC to extend its probe to Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria, amid growing concerns over the unauthorised use of journalistic content.
The investigation follows a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), an umbrella body comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
In the petition, the media organisations accused the technology companies of engaging in anti-competitive conduct that threatens the commercial viability of Nigeria’s news industry.
They also alleged that the platforms routinely use journalistic content without authorisation or fair compensation, undermining publishers’ intellectual property rights and eroding the financial sustainability of independent journalism.
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 a major focus of the investigation is the alleged failure of the global technology companies to put in place fair commercial arrangements with Nigerian news publishers, including providing equitable compensation for the use of their journalistic content.
The FCCPC’s Executive Vice Chairman said the probe represents one of the most consequential regulatory actions affecting Nigeria’s digital economy and media industry, coming amid mounting concerns by publishers over the growing dominance of global technology platforms and their impact on the country’s news ecosystem.
He also recalled that the Commission had previously investigated Meta and, in 2025, secured a landmark judgment against the company for violations of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), including breaches of data privacy laws.
The ruling imposed a $220 million penalty on the company, although Meta has appealed the decision.
The Commission further pointed to developments in South Africa, where similar complaints by news publishers prompted an investigation by the South African Competition Commission.
That process resulted in an agreement requiring Google to pay South African news media R688 million (approximately $40 million) annually for a period of three to five years as compensation for the use of news content.
