Meta threatens to suspend services in Nigeria; “a calculated move aimed at inducing negative public reaction” _ FCCPC
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has threatened to suspend its services in Nigeria due to “unrealistic” regulatory demands and hefty fines totaling over $290 million.
Recall last year, three Nigerian oversight agencies-imposed fines on the US-based social media company for violating various laws and regulations, including: the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) fine*: $220 million for alleged anti-competitive practices; Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria fine*: $37.5 million for running unapproved advertisements and Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) fine*: $32.8 million for alleged data privacy violations.
But Meta’s primary concern lies with the NDPC’s demands, which include:
prior approval for data transfer entailing seeking approval before transferring personal data out of Nigeria, a condition Meta deems “unrealistic” as well as
data privacy education entailing displaying an icon linking users to educational content on data privacy risks, developed in collaboration with government-approved entities
The company failed to overturn these sanctions in the Federal High Court in Abuja and has until the end of June 2025 to settle the fines.
“The applicant may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures,” the company said in the court papers.
If Meta follows through on its threat, millions of Nigerians could lose access to Facebook and Instagram, which are widely used for communication, news, and business.
Meanwhile, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has reacted to reports on Meta’s threat to exit Nigeria over the Court’s affirmation of the Commission’s $290 million fine against the company.
The Commission, in a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, described Meta’s threat as “a calculated move aimed at inducing negative public reaction and potentially pressuring the FCCPC to reconsider its decision.”
The FCCPC investigated Meta Platforms and WhatsApp (jointly referred to as “Meta Parties”) for allegedly violating the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) and the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).
The Commission noted that Meta had been fined for similar breaches in Texas ($1.5billion) and was only recently asked to pay $1.3 billion for violating E.U. Data Privacy Rules.
