The Federal Government has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate allegations of anti-competitive practices, unlawful exploitation of news content and other potentially unfair market conduct involving major global technology companies and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria.
The directive followed 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).
The government’s position was conveyed to the FCCPC in a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, directing the Commission to examine the concerns raised by the media organisations.
The investigation is expected to focus on the growing influence of digital platforms on the sustainability of Nigeria’s news industry. The NPO has expressed concerns over the activities of major technology companies, including Meta, Alphabet and X, formerly Twitter, as well as certain Generative AI platforms, alleging that some of their practices undermine fair competition, threaten the commercial viability of Nigerian media organisations and infringe the rights of content creators and publishers.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said the Commission would conduct an independent, transparent and evidence-based investigation.
“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,” Bello said.
He stressed that the inquiry should not be interpreted as a presumption of wrongdoing by any organisation.
“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 added.
According to the Commission, the investigation will determine whether the alleged practices contravene the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable law.
Among the issues to be examined are allegations of market dominance and anti-competitive conduct by major technology companies. The Commission will also investigate claims of the unauthorised extraction, scraping, ingestion or commercial use of copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials and other original journalistic content for the development and training of Generative AI models.
In addition, the inquiry will consider concerns over the absence of equitable commercial arrangements between global technology companies and Nigerian news publishers, including allegations that media organisations have been denied meaningful opportunities to negotiate fair compensation for the use of their content.
The FCCPC previously investigated Meta over alleged breaches of the FCCPA, including data privacy violations. In 2025, the Commission secured a court ruling upholding a $220 million penalty imposed on the company. Meta has appealed the decision.
The latest investigation follows similar developments in South Africa, where concerns raised by media organisations prompted an inquiry by the South African Competition Commission. That process culminated in an agreement under which Google committed to compensate South African news publishers with R688 million (about $40 million) annually for a period of three to five years.
If you’d like, I can also rewrite it in the style of Reuters, the BBC, or the Financial Times.
