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, the unlawful exploitation of news content, and other potentially unfair market conduct.

The investigation follows a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), 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).

Announcing the development in a statement on Monday, the FCCPC said the directive was conveyed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris.

In the statement, signed by Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, the Commission stated: “The Federal Government’s position was communicated to the FCCPC in a letter signed by the Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris. The investigation promises to open a new chapter in Nigeria’s media history.

“In recent years, concerns have been raised by the Nigerian media industry over the growing impact of certain digital platforms on the sustainability of the country’s news ecosystem. Specifically, the NPO has expressed increasing concern over major technology companies, including Meta, Alphabet, X (formerly Twitter), and certain generative AI platforms, citing practices capable of undermining fair competition, the commercial viability of Nigerian media organisations, and the legitimate rights of content creators and publishers.”

Responding to the directive, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said the Commission would undertake an independent, transparent, and evidence-based investigation.

He said: “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 stressed that the investigation should not be interpreted as a presumption of wrongdoing against any organisation, but rather as an opportunity to establish the facts through due process.

“Every party will be accorded a fair opportunity to present relevant information before any conclusions are reached. Specifically, the FCCPC will determine whether the practices in question constitute a breach of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable law,” he said.

The Commission noted that it had previously investigated Meta and, in 2025, secured a landmark judgment against the technology company for violations of the FCCPA, including data privacy breaches, resulting in a US$220 million penalty. It added that Meta has appealed the decision.

According to the FCCPC, the investigation will examine allegations relating to market dominance and potential anti-competitive conduct by the companies concerned.

It will also investigate claims involving the unauthorised extraction, scraping, ingestion, or commercial use of copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials, and other original journalistic content for the development and training of generative AI models.

Another key area of inquiry is the allegation that Nigerian news publishers have been denied meaningful opportunities to negotiate fair compensation or appropriate commercial arrangements for the use of their journalistic content.

The Commission noted that similar concerns had previously been raised in South Africa, where, following an investigation by the South African Competition Commission, Google agreed to compensate South African news organisations with R688 million (approximately US$40 million) annually over a period of three to five years.