President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) platforms over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the unauthorised use of content belonging to Nigerian media organisations.
Naijaonpoint reports that the directive followed a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation, an umbrella body comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GCOP).
The Federal Government’s directive was conveyed to the FCCPC in a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
According to a statement announcing the development, the investigation will examine concerns raised by the Nigerian media industry over the growing influence of digital platforms on the sustainability of the country’s news ecosystem.
The petition named global technology companies, including Meta, Alphabet and 𝕏, formerly Twitter, as well as certain Generative AI platforms operating in Nigeria, accusing them of practices capable of undermining fair competition, the commercial viability of Nigerian media organisations and the rights of content creators and publishers.
The federal government, on Monday, held a closed-door meeting with the management of the Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) over the price of petrol in Nigeria.
Naijaonpoint understands that the meeting focused on pushing down the price of petrol in Nigeria folowing the reduced tension in the Middle East, which had earlier caused a spike in the price of petrol in Nigeria.
The meeting, held at the headquarters of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in Abuja, also has in attendance the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and other oil and gas stakeholders.
Representatives and chief executives from TotalEnergies, Eterna, Matrix Energy, Depot and Petroleum Products Retailers Association of Nigeria (DPRP), Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), and staff members of the NMDPRA also attended the meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, the Authority Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, Rabiu Umar, disclosed that the gathering was convened at the directive of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri.
According to him, Nigeria has not benefited significantly from the downward shifts in the global crude oil prices, which followed the volatility caused by the tension between the USA and Iran.
He said the focus of the meeting is not to dictate, but to explore ways of collaboration.
The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has said the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has no operational account with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Naijaonpoint reports that the OAGF also denied releasing public funds or paying salaries to the disputed organisation.
The Director of Public Relations at the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, stated this while reacting to reports on the PFIPC’s alleged accounts and funding.
Mokwa said that although an application was made to open a CBN account, the process was never completed because the required documents were not submitted.
He explained that Adeniyi Adeyemi approached the OAGF with an appointment letter, but said the account-opening process could not be completed because the names of authorised signatories were not provided.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has confirmed the replacement of some of its candidates ahead of the forthcoming elections, saying the changes were made to correct irregularities identified during the selection process.
The ruling party also said it had begun submitting the names of candidates for various elective positions to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for publication.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, said the party screened about 2,500 aspirants seeking to contest for different positions on its platform.