From Atiku Sarki, Abuja
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has responded to WhatsApp’s suggestion that it may exit Nigeria over a recent regulatory order, describing the move as a deliberate attempt to provoke public sympathy and pressure the Commission into reversing its decision.
In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja and signed by the Commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Ondaje Ijagwu, the FCCPC disclosed that it had investigated Meta Platforms and WhatsApp (collectively referred to as the “Meta Parties”) for alleged violations of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).
The investigation revealed repeated and multiple infringements by the Meta Parties, including the denial of Nigerians’ right to control their personal data, unauthorized transfer and sharing of user data, discriminatory treatment of Nigerian users compared to those in other countries, and abuse of a dominant market position through the imposition of unfair privacy policies.
The statement noted that Meta has faced similar penalties in other jurisdictions. In Texas, the company was fined $1.5 billion, and it was recently ordered to pay $1.3 billion for breaching European Union data privacy rules. Additional sanctions were imposed in India, South Korea, France, and Australia—yet in none of these cases did Meta threaten to exit the market.
“The recent ruling by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal, which upheld FCCPC’s final order, compels the Meta Parties to comply with Nigerian law, cease exploitative practices, align their operations with national standards, and respect consumer rights in line with global best practices,” the statement read.
The Commission emphasized that “threatening to leave Nigeria does not absolve Meta of responsibility arising from legal and regulatory decisions.”
“For the avoidance of doubt,” the FCCPC added, “the Commission remains resolute in its commitment to protecting consumers and ensuring data privacy, as part of its broader goal of fostering a fair and competitive digital marketplace in Nigeria.”
