President Bola Tinubu has directed competition watchdog to investigate global technology giants including Google, Meta and X for alleged anti-competitive practices and unauthorised use of local news content.
The directive, conveyed through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, follows a joint petition by the Nigerian Press Organisation, which groups major media bodies concerned about declining revenues.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) will examine claims of market dominance, unlawful scraping of copyrighted material for AI training, and failure to compensate publishers fairly.
“Big technology companies have come under the radar… following allegations of anti-competitive practices, unlawful exploitation of news content, and other potentially unfair market conduct,” an FCCPC statement said.
Executive Vice Chairman Tunji Bello pledged a “transparent and evidence-based investigation,” stressing the importance of both media and technology sectors.
“Our responsibility is to objectively determine the facts and ensure that competition within the digital ecosystem remains fair,” he added.
The probe could reshape relations between Nigerian media and digital platforms amid growing global scrutiny of content monetisation.
