….AI Platforms Over Alleged Exploitation of Nigerian Media

President Bola Ahmed 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 Nigerian media content.

The directive follows a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which comprises 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 Federal Government conveyed the President’s directive to the FCCPC through a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.

According to the petition, leading technology firms, including Meta, Alphabet, X (formerly Twitter), and some Generative AI platforms, are allegedly engaging in practices that undermine fair competition, threaten the sustainability of Nigeria’s media industry, and infringe on the rights of content creators and publishers.

Reacting to the directive, FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tunji Bello, assured that the commission would conduct an independent, transparent, and evidence-based investigation.

“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 stressed that the investigation does not presume any company guilty, noting that all parties involved would be given a fair opportunity to present relevant information before any conclusions are reached.

According to Bello, the inquiry will determine whether the alleged practices violate the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable law.

The investigation will focus on allegations of market dominance and anti-competitive conduct, the unauthorised extraction, scraping, ingestion, or commercial use of copyrighted news content for training Generative AI models, as well as claims that Nigerian media organisations have been denied fair compensation and commercial agreements for the use of their journalistic content.

The FCCPC noted that it had previously investigated Meta and, in 2025, secured a landmark judgment against the company over violations of the FCCPA, including data privacy breaches, resulting in a $220 million fine. The company has appealed the decision.

The commission also referenced developments in South Africa, where media organisations successfully pushed for compensation from Google following an investigation by the South African Competition Commission. The agreement reportedly requires Google to pay South African news publishers R688 million (about $40 million) annually for between three and five years.

The latest probe is expected to shape Nigeria’s approach to regulating digital platforms while addressing growing concerns over the impact of global technology companies on the country’s media ecosystem.