By Emmanuel Nduka
Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has warned it may shut down access to both platforms in Nigeria following hefty fines imposed by the country’s regulatory authorities.
Three Nigerian agencies jointly fined Meta over $290 million last year for violations including data privacy breaches, unauthorized advertising, and anti-competitive practices.
Meta’s attempt to challenge the fines in an Abuja High Court was unsuccessful, with the court ordering the company to pay the full amount by the end of June.
Despite owning WhatsApp, Meta has not included the messaging app in its threatened suspension.
Nigeria remains one of Meta’s largest markets in Africa. Facebook, in particular, plays a critical role in personal communication and small business operations across the country.
The largest of the fines, $220 million, came from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), citing anti-competitive behavior. The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) fined Meta $37.5 million for running unauthorized ads, while the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) imposed a $32.8 million penalty over alleged privacy violations.
FCCPC CEO Adamu Abdullahi said investigations conducted with the NDPC between May 2021 and December 2023 revealed “invasive practices” affecting Nigerian consumers, though specifics were not disclosed.
In court filings, Meta pushed back, claiming the NDPC had misinterpreted Nigeria’s data privacy regulations. One major point of contention is the requirement for Meta to obtain user consent before transferring personal data out of the country—a mandate the company called “unrealistic.”
The NDPC also directed Meta to create and host educational videos about data privacy risks, in collaboration with approved academic and nonprofit institutions. These videos are to highlight the dangers of “manipulative and unfair data processing” that could harm users financially or medically.
As tensions rise between the tech giant and Nigerian regulators, millions of users may soon find their access to two of the most popular social platforms at risk.
