By Gloria Drealomalicha
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate global technology companies and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms over allegations that they are exploiting the content of Nigerian media organisations and engaging in anti-competitive practices.
The directive followed a petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), a coalition 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).
According to the FCCPC, the investigation will focus on technology giants including Meta, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, X (formerly Twitter), and other Generative AI platforms operating in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Monday by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, the Commission said the investigation was initiated following concerns that some digital platforms may have violated Nigeria’s competition laws while benefiting commercially from the work of local media organisations.
For years, Nigerian publishers have argued that global technology companies profit from news content produced at significant cost without providing fair financial returns to the organisations responsible for creating it.
The FCCPC said the inquiry would examine allegations of anti-competitive conduct, abuse of market dominance and the unauthorised extraction, scraping and commercial use of copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials and other original journalistic works for the development and training of Generative AI models.
The Commission will also investigate claims that Nigerian publishers have been denied meaningful opportunities to negotiate fair licensing agreements and appropriate compensation for the use of their content.
FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tunji Bello, said the investigation would be transparent, impartial and guided solely by evidence.
“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 emphasised that the investigation should not be interpreted as a finding of guilt against any company.
“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 have a fair opportunity to present relevant information before any conclusions are reached,” he added.
The FCCPC said it would determine whether the alleged practices breach the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 or any other applicable legislation.
The probe comes at a time when governments across the world are introducing measures to ensure technology companies compensate publishers for the use of news content. In South Africa, for example, Google agreed to pay local news organisations hundreds of millions of rand annually following regulatory intervention.
The Nigerian investigation also follows the FCCPC’s recent legal battle with Meta, which resulted in a $220 million penalty over alleged violations of Nigeria’s competition and consumer protection laws, including data privacy breaches. The company is challenging the decision on appeal.
If the investigation confirms the allegations, it could significantly reshape the relationship between global technology companies and Nigeria’s media industry, while setting new standards for digital competition, copyright protection and the commercial use of journalistic content.
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