The Federal Government has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria over allegations of anti-competitive practices, unlawful use of news content, and other unfair market conduct.
The directive followed a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organization (NPO), an umbrella body comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
The government’s decision was conveyed to the FCCPC in a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, acting on the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The investigation is expected to examine the activities of global technology firms, including Meta, Alphabet, and X, as well as Generative AI platforms, over concerns that their operations may be undermining fair competition, threatening the commercial sustainability of Nigerian media organizations, and infringing on the rights of content creators and publishers.
Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said the Commission would conduct an independent, transparent, and evidence-based investigation.
According to Bello, the inquiry is intended to establish the facts and determine whether the conduct of the companies violates the provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable Nigerian law.
He stressed that the investigation does not presume wrongdoing by any organization, noting that all parties involved would be allowed to present relevant information before any conclusions are reached.
Among the issues to be examined are allegations of market dominance and anti-competitive conduct, the unauthorized extraction, scraping, ingestion and commercial use of copyrighted news articles and broadcast materials to develop and train Generative AI models, as well as claims that Nigerian media organizations have been denied fair commercial negotiations and compensation for the use of their journalistic content.
The Commission said the probe seeks to ensure that competition within Nigeria’s digital ecosystem remains fair, transparent and consistent with the country’s laws while balancing technological innovation with the protection of local businesses and intellectual property rights.
The latest move comes after the FCCPC secured a landmark judgment against Meta in 2025 over violations of the FCCPA, including data privacy breaches, resulting in a $220 million fine. The company has appealed the decision.
The development also mirrors similar regulatory action in South Africa, where an investigation by the South African Competition Commission led to an agreement requiring Google to compensate South African news media with R688 million (about $40 million) annually for between three and five years.
