FG Orders Probe Of X, Meta, AI Companies

The Federal Government has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate X, formerly known as Twitter, Meta, other major technology companies and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) firms over allegations of anti-media and anti-competitive practices in Nigeria.

The FCCPC disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, explaining that the directive followed a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO). The petition was jointly signed by 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 commission, the directive was conveyed through a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, requesting the FCCPC to examine the concerns raised by the media organisations.

The petition alleged that companies including Meta, Alphabet, X and several Generative AI platforms were engaging in practices capable of limiting fair competition, weakening the commercial operations of Nigerian media organisations and affecting the rights of publishers and content creators.

The commission said its investigation would examine allegations of market dominance, the unauthorised scraping and commercial use of copyrighted news content for training Generative AI models, as well as claims that global technology firms had failed to establish fair commercial agreements with Nigerian news publishers.

Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said the commission would conduct an independent, transparent and evidence-based investigation into the allegations.

He explained that the media remains important to Nigeria’s democracy, while technology companies also play a vital role in innovation and economic development. He added that the commission’s responsibility is to establish the facts and ensure competition within Nigeria’s digital economy complies with the law.

Bello also stated that the investigation should not be interpreted as proof that any company had violated the law, noting that all parties involved would be given the opportunity to present their positions before any conclusions are reached.

He said the commission would determine whether the alleged actions breached the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 or any other applicable Nigerian law.

The FCCPC recalled that it previously investigated Meta over alleged violations of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act and secured a 2025 ruling that imposed a $220 million fine on the company, a decision that Meta has appealed.