You Can't Evade Nigerian Laws by Threatening Exit – FCCPC to Meta

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has responded firmly to Meta Platforms Inc., cautioning the company that its legal obligations in Nigeria remain binding despite its threat to pull out of the country.

AFRIPOST had reported that Meta had earlier on Friday, May 3, stated that it “may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures.” 

This declaration followed its recent loss in court, where it failed to overturn a ₦220 million fine levied by the FCCPC over alleged breaches of data protection and consumer rights regulations.

In a swift rebuttal issued the same day, the FCCPC characterized Meta’s warning as “a calculated” tactic intended to “induce negative public reaction and potentially pressuring the FCCPC to reconsider its decision.”

The Commission stressed that Meta’s threat to exit does not release the company from the consequences of its actions under Nigerian law.

“These infringements included denying Nigerians the right to control their personal data, transferring and sharing Nigerian user data without authorisation, discriminating against Nigerian users compared to users in other jurisdictions and abusing their dominant market position by forcing unfair privacy policies,” the FCCPC said in a post on X.

The agency also pointed out Meta’s track record of similar violations in other countries: “Interestingly, Meta had been fined for similar breaches in Texas ($1.5b) and only recently was asked to pay $1.3 Billion for violating E.U. Data Privacy Rules. 

Elsewhere in India, South Korea, France and Australia, Meta had faced varying penalties for similar breaches. But Meta never resorted to the blackmail of threatening to exit those countries. They obeyed.”