President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies, including Meta, Google, X and several generative artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the unlawful use of content belonging to Nigerian media organisations.
Gatekeepers News reports that the directive followed a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), an umbrella body comprising Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
order was conveyed to the FCCPC through a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
According to the FCCPC, the investigation will examine claims that the companies engaged in anti-competitive conduct, unlawfully extracted and commercially used copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials and other journalistic content, including for training AI models, without fair compensation to Nigerian publishers.
The commission will also assess whether the firms’ practices breach the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable Nigerian law.
FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman Tunji Bello said the inquiry would be evidence-driven and impartial, stressing that the investigation should not be interpreted as a presumption of wrongdoing against any company. He added that all affected parties would be given the opportunity to present their positions before any conclusions are reached.
The commission noted that concerns have grown within Nigeria’s media industry over the impact of global digital platforms on the sustainability of local journalism.
It also referenced similar regulatory interventions in other countries, including South Africa, where competition authorities reached an agreement with Google to compensate local news organisations for the use of their content.
