Meta Considers Shutting Down Facebook in Nigeria Amid Severe Regulatory Fines

Meta Platforms Inc. (parent company of Facebook and Instagram) has indicated the possibility of discontinuing its services in Nigeria as it faces over $290 million in penalties imposed by Nigerian regulatory agencies for multiple violations of local laws.

Nigeria's tech landscape is in turmoil after Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, signaled that it could suspend its services in the country due to heavy fines and newly imposed regulatory conditions. The social media giant has been hit with more than $290 million in fines from three Nigerian agencies for alleged violations of competition laws, advertising regulations, and data privacy standards.

Struggling to challenge these fines in Abuja’s federal high court, Meta warned that it may need to “effectively shut down” its platforms in Nigeria to avoid further compliance issues. The court has set a deadline until late June for Meta to address the fines.

A spokesperson from Meta confirmed the platform's prior intentions to appeal the decisions but faced a setback with the ruling. The company has remained non-committal about its next actions, despite being the primary social media tool for millions in Nigeria and a crucial medium for many small businesses in the region.

Last year’s fines included $220 million from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for alleged anti-competitive practices, $37.5 million for unauthorized advertisements, and $32.8 million from the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) for breaches of data privacy laws.

The FCCPC’s investigations noted significant concerns regarding data privacy breaches and pointed to practices considered invasive towards Nigerian consumers. Meta argues that the demands from the NDPC—including prior approval for data transfers and the need to create educational content on data privacy risks—are unrealistic and impractical, complicating operations further.

As tensions rise, the continuation of Meta’s platforms in Nigeria hangs in the balance, highlighting critical issues of compliance, consumer rights, and the overarching legislative frameworks governing digital services in the country.