THE NIGERIAN Press Organisation (NPO) has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for directing the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies and generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the exploitation of Nigerian media content.
The umbrella body, comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), described the President’s directive as a significant step towards addressing what it called years of unfair treatment of Nigerian media organisations by dominant digital platforms.
In a statement signed by the Deputy President of NPAN/NPO, Mr. Frank Aigbogun, the organisation said it welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to commence a formal inquiry into the operations of technology giants and AI companies following a joint petition submitted by the NPO.
The organisation recalled that its leadership met President Tinubu in March to express concern over what it described as the existential threat posed to Nigeria’s media industry by global technology companies operating in the country.
According to the NPO, the delegation informed the President that the activities of major digital platforms had continued to undermine the sustainability of Nigeria’s media ecosystem through practices that deny publishers fair compensation for the use of their original journalistic content.
“We are therefore pleased that the government has commenced this investigation. Beyond the clear and present danger posed by Big Tech’s anti-competitive behaviour, their lack of transparency and accountability also carries very serious consequences for journalism as a public-interest good,” the statement said.
The organisation alleged that companies such as Meta, Alphabet, X (formerly Twitter), and various generative AI firms have consistently weakened fair competition and threatened the commercial viability of Nigerian media organisations by exploiting original journalistic content without equitable compensation.
It described the investigation as the first major step towards ensuring accountability for global technology companies, noting that similar regulatory actions in other jurisdictions, particularly South Africa, have demonstrated that digital platforms can be compelled to adopt fairer commercial practices with news publishers.
The NPO also welcomed the assurance by the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Mr. Tunji Bello, that the investigation would be conducted independently, transparently and on the basis of evidence.
It pledged the full cooperation of all its constituent organisations with the Commission, promising to provide relevant evidence to support the inquiry and contribute to the development of a balanced digital economy that protects Nigerian publishers and respects the country’s sovereignty.
The organisation further expressed confidence that the investigation would help establish a more equitable relationship between technology companies and local media organisations.
President Tinubu had directed the FCCPC to investigate the activities of major global technology companies and generative AI platforms after receiving the NPO’s petition alleging anti-competitive conduct and the unlawful exploitation of Nigerian news content.
The directive was conveyed to the Commission through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
According to the FCCPC, the inquiry will examine allegations of market dominance, anti-competitive conduct, the unauthorised extraction, scraping, ingestion and commercial use of copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials and other original journalistic content, including their use in training generative AI models.
The Commission will also investigate claims that Nigerian publishers have been denied meaningful opportunities to negotiate fair compensation for the use of their content.
Bello had stressed that the investigation does not presume wrongdoing by any company, saying all affected parties would be given the opportunity to present evidence before any conclusions are reached.
He said the Commission’s responsibility is to determine whether any conduct violates the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or other applicable laws, while ensuring fair competition in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
The development reflects growing global scrutiny of the relationship between digital platforms and news publishers. Several countries, including Australia, Canada, France and South Africa, have adopted regulatory measures or negotiated compensation frameworks requiring technology companies to pay publishers for the use of their news content.
In South Africa, for example, Google’s agreement with media organisations followed a competition inquiry into the digital news market.
