President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major technology companies and generative artificial intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the unauthorized use of news content.
The directive 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 Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
In a statement issued on Monday, the FCCPC said the directive was conveyed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, following growing concerns from the Nigerian media industry about the impact of large digital platforms on the country’s news ecosystem.
According to the Commission, the NPO alleges that major technology companies, including Meta, Alphabet, X (formerly Twitter), and some generative AI platforms, may be engaging in practices that undermine fair competition, threaten the commercial sustainability of Nigerian media organizations, and infringe on the rights of publishers and content creators.
Responding to the directive, FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tunji Bello, said the Commission would conduct an independent, transparent, and evidence-based investigation.
He stressed that the inquiry should not be viewed as an indication of wrongdoing by any organization, noting that all parties involved would be given the opportunity to present relevant information before any conclusions are reached.
According to Bello, the Commission will determine whether the alleged conduct violates the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable Nigerian law.
Among the issues to be examined are allegations of market dominance and anti-competitive behavior, as well as claims that copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials, and other original journalistic content have been scraped, ingested, or commercially used without authorization to develop and train generative AI models.
The investigation will also assess allegations that Nigerian news publishers have been denied meaningful opportunities to negotiate fair compensation or commercial licensing agreements for the use of their content.
The FCCPC noted that it previously investigated Meta and secured a court victory in 2025 over alleged violations of the FCCPA, including data privacy-related breaches, resulting in a $220 million fine. The company has appealed the decision.
The Commission further pointed to international developments, citing South Africa, where competition authorities reached an agreement under which Google committed to compensate news organizations with approximately R688 million (about $40 million) annually for a period of three to five years following concerns over the use of news content.
