ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has strongly condemned what it described as a calculated attempt by WhatsApp to manipulate public opinion by threatening to exit Nigeria following a $290 million fine imposed on its parent company, Meta Platforms.
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, the FCCPC clarified that the fine resulted from an extensive investigation into repeated violations of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) by Meta and WhatsApp, collectively referred to as “Meta Parties.”
“The Commission found that Meta Parties engaged in multiple and repeated infringements of the FCCPA and NDPR,” the statement read. “These violations include unauthorized data transfer and sharing, denial of Nigerians’ rights over their personal data, discriminatory treatment of Nigerian users compared to global users, and abuse of market dominance through unfair privacy policies.”
The Commission further noted that Meta had faced similar sanctions globally — including a $1.5 billion fine in Texas and a $1.3 billion penalty for violating EU data laws — but never threatened to exit those countries.
“In India, South Korea, France, and Australia, Meta complied with penalties without resorting to blackmail,” Ijagwu said. “They obeyed. Nigeria will not be treated differently.”
The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal recently affirmed the FCCPC’s final order, compelling Meta to comply with Nigerian regulations, discontinue exploitative practices, and align its operations with international standards.
The FCCPC emphasized that WhatsApp’s threat to leave the Nigerian market does not exempt it from legal accountability and vowed to uphold consumer rights and data protection laws.
“We remain fully committed to ensuring a fair, competitive, and consumer-friendly digital market in Nigeria,” the statement concluded.
