The Federal Government has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies, including Meta, Google, X and generative artificial intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria, over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the exploitation of news content belonging to Nigerian media organisations.
The directive, issued by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, followed 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).
The FCCPC disclosed this in a statement issued last Monday by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu.
According to the Commission, the Federal Government’s directive was conveyed in a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
The Commission said the investigation would focus on major technology companies, including Meta, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, X (formerly Twitter), as well as generative AI platforms operating in Nigeria.
Although the FCCPC did not mention specific AI companies, it referred to “certain generative AI platforms,” which may include developers of widely used AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude.
The Commission said the investigation followed growing concerns from Nigeria’s media industry over the impact of digital platforms on the sustainability of journalism and the commercial viability of news organisations.
According to the petitioners, some technology platforms may be engaging in practices that undermine fair competition while commercially benefiting from news content produced by Nigerian publishers without adequate compensation.
Speaking on the development, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said 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 inquiry should not be interpreted as a presumption of wrongdoing against any of the companies involved.
“This inquiry is not directed at any entity by presumption of wrongdoing. Rather, it is an opportunity to carefully examine the facts, hear from all affected parties and determine whether any conduct has resulted in anti-competitive outcomes or unfair business practices,” he said.
Bello added that all parties would be given a fair opportunity to present relevant information before any conclusions are reached.
According to the FCCPC, the investigation will determine whether the alleged conduct violates the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable law.
The Commission said one of the key issues under investigation is the alleged unauthorised extraction, scraping, ingestion and commercial use of copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials and other original journalistic content for the development and training of generative AI models.
It added that the inquiry would also examine allegations of market dominance, anti-competitive conduct and claims that global technology companies have failed to provide Nigerian media organisations with fair opportunities to negotiate commercial agreements or receive compensation for the use of their content.
The FCCPC noted that similar concerns have emerged in other jurisdictions, citing South Africa, where media organisations reached an agreement with Google following an investigation by the South African Competition Commission.
Under the agreement, Google committed to pay South African news publishers R688 million (about $40 million) annually for a period of between three and five years.