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The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has responded firmly to Meta Platforms Inc., warning the tech giant that its threat to exit Nigeria will not absolve it of its legal obligations or liabilities under Nigerian law.
On May 3, Meta announced that it “may be forced to effectively shut down Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures.” This statement came after Meta lost a legal bid last week to overturn a ₦220 million fine imposed by the FCCPC for violations of data protection and consumer rights laws.
In response, the FCCPC issued a statement on Saturday, May 3, characterizing Meta’s threat as a “calculated” attempt to provoke negative public reaction and potentially pressure the commission into reconsidering its decision.
The FCCPC emphasized that Meta’s threat to exit Nigeria does not absolve the company from the consequences of a legal process. “These infringements included denying Nigerians the right to control their personal data, transferring and sharing Nigerian user data without authorization, discriminating against Nigerian users compared to those in other jurisdictions, and abusing their dominant market position by enforcing unfair privacy policies,” the FCCPC wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The FCCPC also highlighted that Meta has faced similar penalties in other jurisdictions, including a $1.5 billion fine in Texas and a $1.3 billion fine for violating European Union data privacy rules. The company has also been penalized in countries such as India, South Korea, France, and Australia for similar violations. However, the FCCPC pointed out that Meta did not resort to threats of exiting those countries, but rather complied with the respective regulations.
