President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies specifically Meta, Alphabet (Google), X (formerly Twitter), and certain Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms for alleged anti-competitive practices and unlawful exploitation of Nigerian news content.
The move follows a formal petition from the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which represents key media bodies including the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
The FCCPC will determine whether these practices breach the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or other relevant laws. The investigation will be independent, transparent, and evidence-based with all parties given a fair hearing. No presumptions of guilt have been made.
FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman, Mr. Tunji Bello, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to fairness, stating that the inquiry aims to balance technological innovation with the protection of Nigeria’s media ecosystem and democracy.
This development mirrors similar actions in South Africa, where Google agreed to pay local news media approximately $40 million annually for several years following comparable complaints.
Nigerian content creator and influencer, Tunde Perry, has raised alarm over alleged continuous detention of…
News Update United Bank for Africa, UBA, Plc has announced that its Group Chairman, Tony…
Concerns are mounting over the welfare of schoolchildren, including minors, who were abducted during coordinated…
News Update THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has reduced its premium motor spirit pump…
Nigeria’s men’s senior basketball team, D’Tigers, delivered a masterclass performance to dismantle Rwanda 106-62 in…
News Update FIFA has controversially lifted Folarin Balogun's one-match World Cup suspension, allowing the U.S.…