Nigerians could soon lose access to Facebook and Instagram, as Meta, the parent company of both platforms, considers halting services in the country due to mounting fines and what it calls “unrealistic” regulatory conditions imposed by Nigerian authorities.
In 2024, three regulatory bodies in Nigeria collectively fined Meta over $290 million (approximately £218 million) for alleged violations of various laws.
After a failed legal challenge at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Meta hinted at the possibility of discontinuing its operations in Nigeria.
According to court documents, “The applicant may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures.”
Notably, WhatsApp, also owned by Meta, was not mentioned in the company’s statement.
Facebook remains Nigeria’s most widely used social media platform, relied on by tens of millions for daily communication, news dissemination, and online business activities.
The breakdown of the fines includes a $220 million penalty from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for alleged anti-competitive behavior; a $37.5 million fine from the national advertising regulator for running unapproved ads; and a $32.8 million charge from the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) over privacy violations.
FCCPC Chief Executive Adamu Abdullahi stated that investigations, jointly conducted with the NDPC between May 2021 and December 2023, uncovered “invasive practices against data subjects/consumers in Nigeria,” though he didn’t elaborate on the specifics.
In its legal filings, Meta said its “primary concern” is with the NDPC, which it accuses of “misinterpreting” Nigeria’s data privacy legislation.
One of the NDPC’s main requirements was that Meta seek prior approval before transferring personal data outside Nigeria, a mandate Meta criticized as “unrealistic.”
Additional conditions imposed by the NDPC included the creation of educational videos on data privacy risks.
These videos, it said, must be linked through a visible icon and produced in collaboration with government-sanctioned educational bodies and non-profit organizations.
According to the commission, the aim is to raise awareness of “manipulative and unfair data processing” practices that may pose financial and health risks to Nigerian users.
Meta has pushed back strongly against the NDPC’s stance, arguing that the agency has failed to “properly interpret the laws guiding data privacy.”
The Federal High Court has given Meta until the end of June to comply and pay the fines.
