Bola Ahmed Tinubu, president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate global technology companies, including Meta, Google, X and some Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms, over allegations that they are exploiting Nigerian media content without fair compensation.
The investigation, announced on Monday, follows a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which represents newspaper publishers, broadcasters, journalists and online publishers across the country.
The move marks one of Nigeria’s most significant regulatory actions against Big Tech and could reshape the relationship between global digital platforms and the country’s news industry.
The NPO 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 Tinubu’s directive to the FCCPC through Mohammed Idris the minister of Information and National Orientation.
