President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the unauthorised use of content belonging to Nigerian media organisations.

The directive follows a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), an umbrella body comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).

The Federal Government conveyed the President’s directive to the FCCPC through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.

According to a statement issued on Monday by the commission, the investigation will examine allegations that some of the world’s biggest technology companies have engaged in practices that undermine fair competition and threaten the sustainability of Nigeria’s media industry.

The companies named include Meta, Alphabet (Google’s parent company), X (formerly Twitter) and certain Generative AI platforms operating in Nigeria.

Allegations under investigation

The FCCPC said the inquiry will determine whether the companies violated provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable law.

Among the issues to be examined are allegations of abuse of market dominance and anti-competitive conduct.

The commission will also investigate claims that copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials and other original journalistic content belonging to Nigerian media organisations have been extracted, scraped, ingested or commercially used without authorisation to develop and train Generative AI models.

Another key issue is whether global technology companies have denied Nigerian media organisations fair opportunities to negotiate compensation or commercial agreements for the use of their content.

The media organisations argue that these practices have weakened the commercial viability of news publishers and undermined the rights of journalists and content creators.

FCCPC promises a fair hearing

In response to the directives, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said the commission would conduct an independent, evidence-based investigation.

“We recognise the strategic importance of the media to Nigeria’s democracy and the equally significant role of technology in driving innovation and economic growth. Our responsibility is to objectively determine the facts and ensure that competition within the digital ecosystem remains fair, transparent and consistent with Nigerian law,” Mr Bello said.

He stressed that the investigation should not be interpreted as a finding of wrongdoing against any company.

“This inquiry is not directed at any entity by presumption of wrongdoing. Rather, it is an opportunity to carefully examine the facts, hear from all affected parties and determine whether any conduct has resulted in anti-competitive outcomes or unfair business practices,” he added.

According to him, all parties involved will have the opportunity to present their positions before any conclusions are reached.

The latest probe comes after the FCCPC secured a major legal victory against Meta in 2025 over alleged violations of Nigeria’s competition and consumer protection laws.

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The commission imposed a $220 million penalty on the technology company over alleged data privacy and consumer protection breaches. Meta has appealed the decision.

Global debate

The FCCPC noted that similar concerns have emerged in other countries over the relationship between global technology companies and news publishers.

It cited South Africa, where investigations by the South African Competition Commission eventually led to an agreement under which Google committed to pay about R688 million (approximately $40 million) annually for between three and five years to support the country’s news media.

The commission said its investigation is intended to determine whether similar competition and consumer protection issues exist in Nigeria and whether any regulatory action is warranted.

Nigeria has reached a major milestone in its internet localisation drive after the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) upgraded its core network to support 400Gbps peering across the country’s three largest carrier-neutral data centres, significantly boosting the nation’s ability to keep internet traffic within its borders.

The landmark upgrade, IXPN says in a statement seen by Technology Times, strengthens Nigeria’s digital infrastructure by expanding the capacity of its national internet exchange, enabling larger volumes of locally generated internet traffic to remain on domestic networks instead of being routed through international transit providers. 

The development is expected to improve internet performance, lower connectivity costs and reinforce the country’s digital sovereignty as demand for high-bandwidth online services continues to accelerate, Nigeria’s IXPN says.

The deployment makes 400Gbps peering available across Equinix LG1, Digital Realty LOS1 and Rack Centre, positioning IXPN to meet rising demand for high-capacity interconnection services from internet service providers, cloud operators, content delivery networks, telecommunications companies, fintech firms and enterprise networks.

A single 400Gbps peering connection can transport four times the traffic carried by a conventional 100Gbps link, providing operators with substantially greater capacity while creating headroom for future growth. The enhanced infrastructure is expected to support increasing demand from businesses and consumers as digital services continue to generate larger volumes of internet traffic.

IXPN says peering strengthens Nigeria’s digital infrastructure

As Nigeria’s national Internet Exchange Point, IXPN enables internet service providers, mobile network operators, cloud companies, content providers and enterprise networks to exchange local internet traffic domestically rather than routing it through overseas networks. Localising internet traffic reduces latency, cuts international bandwidth costs, improves network resilience and enhances the performance of digital services used by millions of Nigerians.

The latest capacity expansion comes as Nigeria experiences rapid growth in internet usage driven by cloud computing, video streaming, artificial intelligence applications, financial technology platforms, e-commerce, online education and other bandwidth-intensive digital services. At the same time, sustained investments in broadband infrastructure, carrier-neutral data centres and international submarine cable systems are creating the foundation for a more resilient digital economy.

A single 400Gbps peering connection can transport four times the traffic carried by a conventional 100Gbps link, providing operators with substantially greater capacity while creating headroom for future growth. The enhanced infrastructure is expected to support increasing demand from businesses and consumers as digital services continue to generate larger volumes of internet traffic.

The upgrade spans IXPN’s infrastructure at Equinix LG1, Digital Realty LOS1 and Rack Centre, three strategically important carrier-neutral data centres that host many of Nigeria’s telecommunications operators, internet service providers, cloud providers, financial technology companies and digital platforms. Together, they serve as critical hubs for exchanging domestic internet traffic.

According to the exchange, the deployment positions Nigeria’s internet exchange infrastructure for the next generation of peering while ensuring the platform remains capable of supporting sustained traffic growth across Nigeria and the wider West African region.

The upgrade spans IXPN’s infrastructure at Equinix LG1, Digital Realty LOS1 and Rack Centre, three strategically important carrier-neutral data centres that host many of Nigeria’s telecommunications operators, internet service providers, cloud providers, financial technology companies and digital platforms. Together, they serve as critical hubs for exchanging domestic internet traffic.

Beyond increasing available bandwidth, the upgrade also lays the groundwork for a major transformation of IXPN’s internal network architecture. The exchange plans to replace multiple bundled 100Gbps connections with native 400Gbps circuits, simplifying network operations while improving efficiency.

The migration will extend to backbone links connecting IXPN’s Points of Presence and other internal infrastructure, reducing reliance on link aggregation, streamlining network topology and enabling more efficient utilisation of switching resources across the platform.

For the exchange members and interconnection partners, the transition offers both operational and economic advantages. Networks that currently depend on multiple bundled 100Gbps peering connections will be able to consolidate them into a single 400Gbps interface, reducing cross-connect costs, simplifying network management, improving port utilisation and lowering operational complexity.

Announcing the milestone, IXPN says: “We are thrilled to announce that IXPN has officially upgraded its core switches to 400G-capable platforms at three of our key Points of Presence: Equinix LG1, Digital Realty LOS1, and Rack Centre, bringing 400G peering availability to all three locations.”

The organisation says the investment positions Nigeria’s internet exchange infrastructure ahead of growing regional demand.

“As demand for higher-capacity interconnections continues to grow across Nigeria and the region, this upgrade firmly positions the IXPN platform for the next generation of peering, ensuring our infrastructure remains ahead of the curve and ready to serve our growing community.”

The exchange describes the deployment as the first stage of a broader infrastructure evolution.

“Beyond enabling 400G services for our members,” IXPN says that “this upgrade also lays a strong foundation for simplifying our internal network architecture. Over time, we will migrate multiple bundled 100Gbps connections, including our inter-PoP links and other internal connectivity, to native 400Gbps circuits.”

Looking ahead, the exchange says its next phase will focus on upgrading backbone connections linking its various Points of Presence to create an end-to-end 400Gbps platform capable of supporting even larger volumes of domestic internet traffic.

“What’s next? Migrating our inter-PoP backbones to 400G and onboarding 400G peers,” the statement says.

The organisation also commended its engineering team for executing the large-scale network upgrade without service disruption.

“A huge and heartfelt congratulations to our exceptional engineering team… for executing all maintenance activities flawlessly and exactly on schedule. Infrastructure upgrades of this scale demand meticulous planning and precise delivery, and the team delivered brilliantly on every front.”

The deployment marks one of IXPN’s most significant infrastructure upgrades to date and represents another milestone in Nigeria’s long-term strategy to localise internet traffic. By enabling more digital services to exchange data within the country at much higher speeds, the upgrade is expected to strengthen the performance of cloud computing, fintech platforms, artificial intelligence applications, streaming services and locally hosted content, while reducing dependence on international internet routes and supporting the continued growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.