President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate Meta, Alphabet, X, and several Generative AI platforms over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the unauthorised use of Nigerian news content.

The directive, announced on Monday, follows a joint petition by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which accused the technology firms of practices that threaten the sustainability of Nigeria’s media industry and Violation on the rights of publishers and content creators.

According to the FCCPC, the investigation will examine allegations of market dominance, unfair competition, and the scraping, extraction, and commercial use of copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials, and other journalistic content to develop and train Generative AI models without authorisation.

The Commission said the directive was communicated by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on behalf of the President.

FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tunji Bello, said the probe will be conducted independently, transparently, and based on evidence to determine whether the companies have violated Nigeria’s competition and consumer protection

He said the investigations doesn’t mean the companies are guilty but is aimed at establishing facts and ensuring fair competition and the protection of intellectual property rights.