The Federal Government has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to investigate major global technology companies and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the exploitation of content belonging to Nigerian media organisations.
The directive, issued by President Bola Tinubu, followed a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), an umbrella body comprising the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), 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 presidential directive was conveyed to the FCCPC through a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
The commission is expected to investigate allegations against major technology firms, including Meta, Alphabet, X, as well as Generative AI platforms operating in Nigeria.
The move comes amid growing concerns within Nigeria’s media industry over the increasing influence of digital platforms on the country’s news ecosystem and the financial sustainability of local media organisations.
According to the petition, some technology companies have engaged in practices that undermine fair competition, weaken the commercial viability of Nigerian media organisations, and infringe on the intellectual property rights of publishers and content creators.
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 establish the facts.
Bello said the FCCPC recognises the critical role of the media in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy as well as the importance 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 said.
He stressed that the inquiry should not be interpreted as a presumption of wrongdoing against any company, adding that all parties involved would be given the opportunity to present relevant information before any conclusions are reached.
In a statement issued by the FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, the commission said the investigation would determine whether the alleged conduct contravened the provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable legislation.
The probe will examine allegations of market dominance and anti-competitive practices by global technology companies, as well as claims involving the unauthorised extraction, scraping, ingestion and commercial use of copyrighted news reports, broadcast materials and other original journalistic content for the development and training of Generative AI models.
The commission will also investigate allegations that global technology companies have failed to establish fair commercial arrangements with Nigerian news publishers, including claims that media organisations have been denied meaningful opportunities to negotiate appropriate compensation for the use of their content.
The latest investigation follows the FCCPC’s earlier action against Meta, which resulted in a landmark 2025 ruling that imposed a $220 million fine on the company over alleged violations of the FCCPA, including data privacy breaches. The decision is currently under appeal.
The commission also referenced developments in South Africa, where an investigation by the South African Competition Commission led to Google agreeing to compensate South African news media with R688 million (about $40 million) annually for a period of three to five years.
