Abuja, 6 May 2025 — The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has pushed back against suggestions that Meta Platforms — the parent company of WhatsApp — may exit Nigeria following a regulatory order, calling the move a form of “calculated public pressure” and asserting that leaving the country would not absolve the tech giant of liability.
In a strongly worded statement issued by Director of Corporate Affairs Ondaje Ijagwu, the FCCPC said it found Meta and WhatsApp (collectively referred to as the “Meta Parties”) in repeated violation of Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).
According to the Commission, these violations included unauthorized sharing of Nigerian user data, denial of user control over personal information, discriminatory treatment of Nigerian users compared to other countries, and abuse of market dominance by imposing unfair privacy policies.
“Meta Parties have engaged in multiple and repeated infringements,” the FCCPC said. “Threatening to leave Nigeria does not absolve Meta of liabilities for the outcome of a judicial process.”
The statement emphasized that Meta has faced similar legal actions and penalties globally — including a $1.5 billion fine in Texas and a $1.3 billion penalty in the European Union — without making threats to withdraw from those markets. Regulators in India, South Korea, France, and Australia have also sanctioned the company for comparable conduct.
In contrast, the FCCPC accused Meta of using the threat of exit in Nigeria as a form of “blackmail” intended to generate public backlash and pressure the regulator into backtracking on its enforcement.
The Commission’s order, recently upheld by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal, requires Meta to revise its practices in Nigeria, comply fully with local laws, and align its operations with international consumer protection and data privacy standards.
“The FCCPC remains committed in its pursuit of consumer protection and data privacy,” Ijagwu said, adding that the Commission is working to ensure “a fairer digital market in Nigeria.”
Source: FCPCC Facebook page
