President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed 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 unlawful use of content produced by Nigerian media organisations.

The directive follows a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), an umbrella body comprising the Newspaper Proprietors' Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).

The Federal Government's position was conveyed to the FCCPC through a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.

According to the petition, major technology companies, including Meta, Alphabet (Google), X (formerly Twitter), and certain Generative AI platforms, are allegedly engaging in practices that threaten fair competition, weaken the sustainability of Nigeria's media industry, and undermine the rights of content creators and publishers.

Confirming the development, FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tunji Bello, said the commission would conduct a transparent, evidence-based, and impartial investigation into the allegations.

Bello emphasized that the inquiry does not presume guilt on the part of any company but is intended to establish the facts and determine whether any actions violate Nigeria's competition and consumer protection laws.

"We recognise the strategic importance of the media to Nigeria's democracy and the equally significant role of technology in driving innovation and economic growth. Our responsibility is to objectively determine the facts and ensure that competition within the digital ecosystem remains fair, transparent, and consistent with Nigerian law," Bello stated.

The FCCPC said the investigation will focus on allegations of market dominance, anti-competitive conduct, and the unauthorised extraction, scraping, ingestion, or commercial use of copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials, and other journalistic content for the development and training of Generative AI models.

The commission will also examine claims that Nigerian media organisations have been denied fair opportunities to negotiate compensation or commercial agreements for the use of their content by global technology companies.

The development comes amid growing concerns worldwide over the relationship between technology platforms and news publishers. Similar disputes in countries such as South Africa led to regulatory intervention and compensation arrangements between digital platforms and local media organisations.

FCCPC noted that it had previously investigated Meta and secured a landmark ruling in 2025 over alleged violations of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), resulting in a $220 million fine, which remains under appeal.

The outcome of the latest investigation is expected to shape future regulatory policies governing the relationship between digital platforms, artificial intelligence developers, and Nigeria's media industry, with potential implications for content ownership, fair compensation, and competition in the digital economy.