By Lizzy Chirkpi
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate global technology companies, including Google, Meta and X, over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the unlawful use of news content belonging to Nigerian media organisations.
The directive followed a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), the 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 FCCPC disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu.
According to the commission, the investigation will also extend to certain generative artificial intelligence platforms operating in Nigeria.
The statement said, “Big technology companies have come under the radar of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission following allegations of anti-competitive practices, unlawful exploitation of news content, and other potentially unfair market conduct.”
It added, “Also to be investigated are Generative Artificial Intelligence platforms operating in Nigeria. This is in sequel to a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to FCCPC to look into a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation.”
The commission said the investigation would determine whether the conduct of the affected companies contravenes the provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018, or any other applicable Nigerian law.
According to the petitioners, the activities of the technology firms have distorted fair competition in the country’s media industry by benefiting commercially from news content produced by Nigerian publishers without adequate compensation.
The media organisations also argued that the practices threaten the financial sustainability of news organisations, undermine investment in journalism and erode the rights of publishers and content creators.
The FCCPC did not disclose a timeline for the investigation or indicate whether the affected companies had been formally notified.
The probe comes amid increasing global scrutiny of major digital platforms over their relationship with news publishers. Several countries, including Australia, Canada and members of the European Union, have introduced regulatory measures requiring technology companies to negotiate compensation agreements with media organisations whose content appears on their platforms.
In Nigeria, the development marks one of the most significant regulatory moves yet aimed at addressing concerns over the market dominance of global technology companies and the economic impact of digital platforms on the country’s media industry.