The convener of the Liberty Symposium, Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan, has welcomed President Bola Tinubu's directive ordering the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to investigate global technology companies and AI firms over allegations they have profited from Nigerian media content without fair compensation.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Ramalan described the directive as a significant step toward curbing anti-competitive practices in Nigeria's digital media space and protecting the long-term survival of local media organizations.
He said the move reflects concerns raised at the 2nd Liberty Symposium, where media stakeholders warned that foreign platforms and AI companies have continued to derive commercial value from Nigerian-produced content while local broadcasters and publishers see little to no benefit in return.
"The President's directive is a welcome development and a major step toward ensuring transparency, accountability and fair competition within Nigeria's digital economy," Ramalan said, adding that Nigerian media organizations invest heavily in credible public-interest journalism and that the commercial use of their work by dominant global platforms should happen within a transparent, equitable regulatory framework.
He said the symposium had previously called for stronger regulatory oversight of global platforms operating in Nigeria and measures to level the playing field for local media organizations, and urged the FCCPC, under Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Tunji Bello, to carry out an independent, evidence-based investigation in line with the directive relayed by Information and National Orientation Minister Mohammed Idris.
According to Ramalan, the inquiry should cover allegations of market dominance abuse, digital advertising practices, commercial use of Nigerian media content, AI training on locally generated material, and compliance with Nigeria's competition and media regulations.
He pointed to similar regulatory interventions in other countries as evidence that innovation and fair competition for local media can be balanced.
He pledged the Liberty Symposium's cooperation with the FCCPC's investigation, offering to provide research findings, industry submissions and other materials, and said the goal is a fair, transparent and competitive digital media environment that protects Nigerian media organizations while advancing the country's broader national interest.
The FCCPC is expected to examine claims that dominant global platforms have used their market position to commercially benefit from Nigerian media content without adequate transparency, regulatory compliance or equitable value-sharing arrangements.
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