From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has dismissed Meta’s threat to exit the country following a $220 million fine for data privacy and consumer rights violations.
The fine, upheld by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal on April 25, targeted Meta and its platforms, WhatsApp and Facebook, for discriminatory and exploitative practices against Nigerian consumers.
Ondaje Ijagwu, FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, stated on Saturday, May 3, 2025, that Meta’s threat is a calculated move to sway public opinion and pressure the commission. He said the FCCPC’s 38-month investigation, conducted with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, found Meta guilty of denying Nigerians control over their data, sharing data without consent, discriminating against Nigerian users, and abusing market dominance.
“The Commission found that Meta Parties engaged in multiple and repeated infringements of the FCCPA (2018) and the NDPR. These infringements included denying Nigerians the right to control their personal data, transferring and sharing Nigerian users’ data without authorisation, discriminating against Nigerian users compared to users in other jurisdictions, and abusing their dominant market position by forcing unfair privacy policies,” he explained.
Ijagwu noted that Meta faced similar penalties globally, including $1.4 billion in Texas and €1.2 billion in the EU, without threatening to leave those markets. “Threatening to leave Nigeria does not absolve Meta of liabilities for the outcome of a judicial process,” he added. The tribunal ordered Meta to pay the fine and $35,000 in investigation costs by June 29, 2025, and to reinstate Nigerian users’ data control by July 1, 2025.
The FCCPC, Ijagwu said, is committed to enforcing consumer rights and data privacy, aiming for a fairer digital market in Nigeria, home to 51 million WhatsApp users.
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