The Federal Government has commenced a fresh regulatory push against global technology companies, with President Bola Tinubu directing the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate allegations that major digital platforms are exploiting content produced by Nigerian media organisations without fair compensation.
The directive followed a petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which represents 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 by the FCCPC's Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, the commission said it had been mandated, through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, to investigate the activities of Meta, Alphabet, Google's parent company, X (formerly Twitter), and Generative Artificial Intelligence platforms operating in Nigeria.
According to the commission, the investigation will examine claims of anti-competitive practices, unlawful exploitation of news content and other business conduct that could undermine competition within Nigeria's digital media ecosystem.
The FCCPC noted that concerns have intensified in recent years over the growing influence of global technology companies on the country's news industry, with publishers complaining that digital platforms benefit from their journalism while providing little or no financial returns to the organisations that produce the content.
It said the inquiry would determine whether the companies' activities amount to violations of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018, or any other relevant law.
Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, assured that the investigation would be impartial, transparent and based strictly on evidence.
He said the commission would carefully examine all available facts and hear from every stakeholder before arriving at any conclusion.
Bello stressed that the investigation should not be interpreted as an assumption of guilt against any of the companies under scrutiny.
"Our responsibility is to objectively determine the facts and ensure that competition within the digital ecosystem remains fair, transparent and consistent with Nigerian law," he said.
Among the issues to be examined are allegations that some technology companies have engaged in the unauthorised scraping, extraction and commercial use of copyrighted news stories, broadcast materials and other original journalistic works to develop and train Generative AI models.
The commission will also investigate complaints that Nigerian publishers have not been given adequate opportunities to negotiate fair commercial arrangements or receive compensation for the use of their content.
The latest move reflects a growing global debate over the relationship between digital platforms and traditional media organisations. Several countries have introduced regulatory measures compelling technology companies to compensate publishers for news content that generates traffic and advertising revenue on their platforms.
South Africa is among the countries that have reached agreements with technology firms after regulatory intervention, with Google agreeing to provide substantial annual payments to support the country's news industry.
The FCCPC's latest action also comes less than a year after it imposed a $220 million penalty on Meta over alleged breaches of Nigeria's competition and consumer protection laws, including issues relating to data privacy. The company is challenging the sanction on appeal.
The outcome of the investigation is expected to shape Nigeria's approach to digital regulation and could redefine the relationship between global technology companies and the country's media industry as concerns grow over the sustainability of journalism in the digital age.
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