NPO Hails Tinubu’s Big Tech, AI Probe Directive

The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) has welcomed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive asking the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies and generative artificial intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria.

The directive followed a joint petition to the federal government by the NPO and its constituent bodies — 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).

The organisations argued that dominant digital platforms pose an “existential threat” to Nigeria’s media sector.

“NPO members met President Tinubu in March to formally complain about the existential threat posed to the media by Big Tech and AI companies operating in Nigeria,” the group said in a statement, signed by it’s deputy president (NPAN/NPO), Frank Aigbogun, on behalf of the coalition.

The NPO also added that the president’s directive marks a “first major step” toward holding tech giants accountable.

The NPO accused global platforms — naming Meta, Alphabet, and X (formerly Twitter) — and several generative AI firms of anti-competitive behaviour, lack of transparency, and of exploiting original journalistic content without fair compensation. Those practices, the group said, have undermined fair competition and the commercial viability of Nigeria’s media ecosystem.

The FCCPC’s chief executive, Tunji Bello, has reportedly given assurances that the inquiry will be independent, transparent and evidence-based after a request from the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Mohammed. The NPO said it and its member bodies stand ready to cooperate fully with the commission and to provide necessary evidence.

The move mirrors regulatory trends elsewhere, the NPO noted, pointing to progress in other jurisdictions such as South Africa. The organisation framed the probe as necessary to ensure a balanced digital economy that respects Nigerian sovereignty and the rights of local publishers.