By Ono Yima
Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has warned that it may shut down operations of Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria due to increasing regulatory pressures and what it describes as ‘unrealistic’ demands from the government.
The warning was contained in a recent court filing obtained by the BBC. It follows a $220 million fine imposed on Meta by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) over alleged violations of data privacy regulations.
The fine stems from a 38-month joint investigation carried out by the FCCPC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) into Meta’s data handling practices, particularly involving WhatsApp. On April 25, a competition and consumer protection tribunal upheld the fine, but Meta has announced plans to appeal. The company has until the end of June to comply with the ruling.
In the court documents, Meta said that to ‘mitigate the risk of enforcement measures,’ it might be compelled to ‘effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria.’ The filing notably excluded WhatsApp from this threat.
According to the BBC, Meta’s main concerns are directed at the NDPC, which the company accuses of misinterpreting Nigeria’s data protection laws. Beyond the FCCPC’s $220 million penalty, the NDPC has also levied a $32.8 million fine against Meta for alleged data privacy violations. Separately, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has imposed a $37.5 million fine for what it described as unapproved advertising content.
Regulators are demanding that Meta obtain prior approval before transferring Nigerian users’ data abroad—a condition the company has called ‘unrealistic.’ The NDPC is also requiring Meta to develop and display educational content on data privacy risks through a dedicated icon on its platforms. These videos must be co-produced with approved institutions and must address manipulative data practices.
Meta has rejected these directives as ‘unworkable,’ asserting that Nigerian authorities have misapplied the country’s data protection framework.
The FCCPC maintains that its actions are the result of a comprehensive investigation conducted between May 2021 and December 2023, in collaboration with the NDPC.