President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the unlawful use of content belonging to Nigerian media organisations.
The directive followed a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which comprises the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, the investigation will focus on technology companies including Meta, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, X (formerly Twitter), and several Generative AI platforms operating in Nigeria.
The commission said the probe was initiated following President Tinubu’s directive, which was conveyed through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
The NPO alleged that the activities of the technology firms undermine fair competition, threaten the financial sustainability of Nigerian media organisations and infringe on the rights of content creators and publishers through the unauthorised use of their journalistic materials.
The FCCPC noted that concerns have continued to grow within Nigeria’s media industry over the impact of digital platforms on the country’s news ecosystem, particularly as technology companies increasingly distribute and monetise news content without compensating 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 stressed that the inquiry was not based on any presumption of wrongdoing but was intended to establish the facts, hear from all affected parties and determine whether any anti-competitive or unfair business practices had occurred.
According to Bello, every organisation involved will be given a fair opportunity to present relevant information before any conclusions are reached.
The commission said the investigation will examine whether the practices complained of violate the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018, or any other applicable law.
Among the issues under review are allegations of market dominance, anti-competitive conduct, the unauthorised extraction and commercial use of copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials and other original journalistic content for training Generative AI models.
The FCCPC will also investigate claims that Nigerian publishers have been denied meaningful opportunities to negotiate fair compensation for the use of their content by digital platforms.
The development comes amid increasing global scrutiny of the relationship between media organisations and technology companies. Several countries have introduced regulations requiring digital platforms to negotiate compensation agreements with news publishers.
In South Africa, investigations by the country’s Competition Commission led to an agreement under which Google will pay South African news organisations about $40 million annually for three to five years.
The Nigerian probe also follows the FCCPC’s earlier legal action against Meta, which resulted in a $220 million penalty over alleged violations of Nigeria’s competition and consumer protection laws. The company has appealed the decision.
The outcome of the latest investigation is expected to shape the future of digital regulation and journalism in Nigeria while reinforcing the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring global technology companies comply with local laws and fairly compensate Nigerian publishers for the use of their content.
