By Progress Godfrey
ABUJA — The Federal Government has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate X (formerly Twitter), Meta, other major technology companies and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) firms over allegations of anti-competitive practices affecting Nigeria’s media industry.
The directive 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).
According to a statement issued by the FCCPC on Monday, the directive was conveyed in a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, requesting the commission to investigate the allegations contained in the petition.
The petition alleges that companies including Meta, Alphabet, X and some Generative AI platforms engage in practices that may undermine fair competition, affect the commercial viability of Nigerian media organisations and impact the rights of publishers and content creators.
