in Nigeria, people may lose access to Facebook and Instagram after parent company Meta said it is facing huge fines and “unrealistic” regulatory demands from the authorities in Nigerian.
In 2024, three (3) Nigerian oversight agencies slammed fines on the US-based social media giant totalling more than $290m (£218m) for breaching various laws and regulations.
In a recent attempt to challenge the decisions in the federal high court in Abuja, Meta was unsuccessful.
In the court papers, the company said, “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.”
Meta has been given until the end of June by the High Court to pay the fines.
In Nigeria, Facebook is the most popular social media platform and is used by tens of millions in the West African country for daily communication and sharing news. It is also a key tool for many of Nigeria’s small online businesses.
Meta was asked to pay three (3) fines in July, 2024:
- The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) slammed a $220m fine on the company over allegations of anti-competitive practices
- The advertising regulator imposed a $37.5m fine on the company over unapproved advertising
- The Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) alleged Meta had violated data privacy laws and fined it $32.8m.
