President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies, including Meta, Google’s parent company Alphabet, X, and several Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms over allegations of exploiting Nigerian media content without fair compensation.
The directive followed a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which 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 media bodies accused the companies of engaging in anti-competitive practices, unlawfully using copyrighted Nigerian news content, and undermining the commercial viability of local media organisations.
According to the FCCPC, the investigation will examine allegations that news articles, broadcast materials and other original journalistic works have been extracted, scraped, ingested or commercially used without authorisation to develop and train Generative AI models. The commission will also assess claims that Nigerian publishers have been denied meaningful opportunities to negotiate fair licensing or commercial agreements for the use of their content.
FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tunji Bello, said the inquiry would be independent, transparent and evidence-based.
“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 added that the commission would determine whether any of the alleged conduct violates the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable Nigerian law.
The move places Nigeria among a growing number of countries seeking to regulate the relationship between global technology companies and news publishers, amid increasing concerns that digital platforms derive significant commercial value from journalism without providing fair compensation to content creators and media organisations.
