BREAKING: FG dares Meta to shut Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria, insists $290m fines must be paid
The Nigerian government has fired back at Meta’s threat to shut down Facebook and Instagram in the country, defiantly declaring that the tech giant cannot evade its $290 million fine—even if it exits the the country.
This was contained in a statement issued Ondaje Ijagwu, Director, Corporate Affairs of Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
Recall that in July 2024, the FCCPC issued a statement accusing Meta of breaching local consumer and data protection regulations through its data-sharing practices on Facebook and WhatsApp.
The case reportedly stemmed from a 38-month joint investigation by the FCCPC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) into the privacy practices and consumer data policies of WhatsApp and Meta.
However, Meta said it would appeal the fine.
On April 25, the competition and consumer protection tribunal upheld the $220 million fine imposed on Meta by the FCCPC.
The court gave the company until the end of June to comply with the orders.
According to the BBC report on Friday, Meta said it may have to “effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures”.
Although Meta also owns WhatsApp, the company did not include the instant messaging platform in its court filing.
The report said Meta’s primary grievance is with the NDPC, which it accused of misinterpreting Nigeria’s data protection laws.
While NDPC alleged Meta had violated data privacy laws and fined it $32.8 million, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) fined the company $37.5 million over unapproved advertising.
The BBC said the commission insisted that Meta must seek prior approval before transferring Nigerian users’ data abroad — a demand the company called “unrealistic”.
The NDPC had also directed Meta to develop and display educational content on data privacy risks through a dedicated icon on its platforms.
The videos are expected to be produced in collaboration with government-approved institutions and non-profit organisations, and should address issues around manipulative and unfair data processing.
However, responding to Meta’s threat, the FCCPC said WhatsApp’s claim that it may be forced to exit Nigeria due to FCCPC’s recent order appears to be a calculated move aimed at inducing negative public reaction and potentially pressuring the FCCPC to reconsider its decision.
The statement explained that 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 Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).
It said; “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 user data without authorisation, discriminating against Nigerian users compared to users in other jurisdictions and abusing their dominant market position by forcing unfair privacy policies.
“Interestingly, Meta had been fined for similar breaches in Texas ($1.5b) and only recently was asked to pay $1.3 Billion for violating E.U. Data Privacy Rules. Elsewhere in India, South Korea, France and Australia, Meta had faced varying penalties for similar breaches. But Meta never resorted to the blackmail of threatening to exit those countries. They obeyed.
“The recent affirmation of FCCPC’s final order by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal requires Meta Parties to take steps to comply with Nigerian law, stop exploiting Nigerian consumers, change their practices to meet Nigerian standards and respect consumer rights, consistent with international best practices.
“Threatening to leave Nigeria does not absolve Meta of liabilities for the outcome of a judicial process.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the FCCPC remains committed in its pursuit of consumer protection and data privacy towards ensuring a fairer digital market in Nigeria.”
