The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), has declared that WhatsApp’s threat to leave Nigeria following regulatory sanctions will not shield the company from the consequences of its legal violations.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, the Commission criticized the threat by WhatsApp as a “calculated move” to provoke public outrage and pressure the government into reversing its decision.
Ijagwu emphasized that Meta Platforms Inc. and WhatsApp LLC—referred to jointly as the Meta Parties—must comply with Nigerian laws, asserting that their conduct has repeatedly breached the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).
“The affirmation of the Commission’s final order by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal compels Meta to halt exploitative practices against Nigerian consumers and adopt standards aligned with international best practices,” the statement read.
The Tribunal recently upheld the FCCPC’s order, slapping Meta with an administrative penalty of $220 million and an additional $35,000 to cover investigative costs. In response, Meta threatened to shut down Facebook and Instagram operations in Nigeria, citing what it called excessive fines from multiple government bodies.
However, Ijagwu pointed out that such penalties are not unprecedented. “Meta has paid far heftier fines—$1.5 billion in Texas and $1.3 billion in the EU—for similar data privacy violations,” he said, adding that the company complied with penalties in India, South Korea, France, and Australia without resorting to threats.
The FCCPC found Meta guilty of multiple offenses, including unauthorized data transfers, discrimination against Nigerian users, and the abuse of its dominant market position by imposing unfair privacy terms.
Reaffirming the Commission’s commitment to a fair and accountable digital marketplace, Ijagwu stated: “The FCCPC will not yield to blackmail. Our mandate is to protect Nigerian consumers, and we will continue to pursue that mission with full legal backing.”
