Facebook, Instagram May Leave Nigeria Over Heavy, Unrealistic Fines By Nigerian Govt.

By Olusegun Ajileye

The parent company of Facebook and Instagram known as Meta, has threatened to suspend its services – Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria, alleging unrealistic regulatory demands by local authorities.

Three Nigerian agencies had recently slammed the tech giant with more than $290 million fines (£218 million) last year for violating competition, advertising and data protection laws, whereas, efforts made by Meta to overturn the sanctions in a Federal High Court in Abuja had failed.

The court has given the company until the end of June to settle the fines.

The company said it might have to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) fined Meta $220 million for alleged anti-competitive practices.

The advertising regulator imposed a $37.5 million penalty for running unapproved ads and the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) levied a $32.8 million fine for alleged data privacy violations.

Adamu Abdullahi, FCCPC chief executive, said investigations conducted alongside the NDPC between May 2021 and December 2023 revealed “invasive practices against data subjects/consumers in Nigeria,” although he did not detail the specific infractions.

In its legal filings, Meta said its main concern lies with the NDPC, which it accused of misinterpreting Nigeria’s data protection framework.

Among the NDPC’s most controversial demands is a requirement that Meta seek prior approval before transferring any personal data out of Nigeria, a condition the company described as unrealistic.

The commission also directed Meta to display an icon linking users to educational content on data privacy, created in collaboration with government-approved institutions and non-profits.

Meta called these conditions unfeasible and argued that the NDPC has failed to correctly interpret the country’s data protection laws.