President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major technology companies and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria over allegations of anti-competitive practices, unlawful exploitation of news content, and other potentially unfair market conduct.
The Tinubu Big Tech investigation follows 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 directive was conveyed to the FCCPC through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, according to a statement released by the Commission on Monday.
The FCCPC said the investigation could mark a significant turning point for Nigeria’s media industry, amid growing concerns that global digital platforms are undermining the country’s news ecosystem.
According to the Commission, Nigerian media organisations have expressed increasing concern over the activities of major technology firms, including Meta, Alphabet, X, and several generative AI platforms.
The petition alleges that some of these companies may be engaging in practices capable of distorting competition, weakening the commercial sustainability of Nigerian media organisations, and infringing on the rights of content creators and publishers.
Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, assured stakeholders that the Commission would conduct an independent, transparent, and evidence-based investigation.
He emphasised that the investigation does not imply any organisation has violated the law but is intended to establish the facts through due process.
“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 added that every organisation involved would be given a fair opportunity to present relevant information before any conclusions are reached.
According to the FCCPC, investigators will determine whether the alleged practices violate the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable Nigerian law.
The Commission noted that it had previously investigated Meta and secured a landmark judgment against the technology company in 2025 over alleged violations of the FCCPA, including data privacy breaches, resulting in a $220 million fine. The company has appealed the decision.
As part of the new probe, the FCCPC will examine allegations of market dominance and anti-competitive conduct by the companies under investigation.
The Commission will also investigate claims that copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials, and other original journalistic content have been extracted, scraped, ingested, or commercially used without authorisation to develop and train generative AI models.
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Another major focus of the investigation is whether Nigerian news publishers have been denied fair opportunities to negotiate commercial agreements or receive adequate compensation for the use of their content.
The FCCPC cited similar international developments, noting that following an investigation by the South African Competition Commission, Google agreed to compensate South African news organisations with approximately R688 million (about $40 million) annually for between three and five years.
The Commission said its investigation is aimed at ensuring that competition within Nigeria’s digital economy remains fair while protecting the rights of media organisations, content creators, consumers, and technology innovators alike.
