Nigeria drops planned fuel import tariff

Nigeria has ended plans to impose a 15% import duty on petrol and diesel amid assurances of adequate supply during the year-end holidays, the downstream regulator said on Thursday.

The tariff, approved by President Bola Tinubu as part of fiscal reforms to boost non-oil revenues, was disclosed in a leaked government memo last month. It was supposed to take effect in December.

"The implementation of the 15% ad-valorem import duty on imported premium motor spirit and diesel is no longer in view," the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said in a statement.

Fuel marketers had lobbied against the measure, warning it could restrict imports and leave the country reliant on a single source, the 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos.

Africa's biggest oil producer spends millions of dollars each year importing fuels and this has continued even after the Dangote Petroleum Refinery began processing crude last year.

The NMDPRA assured buyers of adequate supply during the holiday and warned against panic buying.
"The Authority will continue to monitor supply and take necessary steps to avoid disruptions, especially during this peak demand period," it said.

By Isaac Anyaogu, Reuters

Video - Nigeria’s return to global debt market signals confidence amid caution

Nigeria’s successful $2.35 billion Eurobond issuance helped renew investor confidence in its economic reforms and leadership. The government aims to use the funds to bridge its fiscal deficit and support efforts to stabilize the economy.

CGTN Africa

China opposes Trump’s threat against Nigeria, declares support for Nigerian Government

China has officially declared its opposition to US threats of sanctions or military actions against Nigeria over allegations of mass slaughter of Christians.

The Chinese government made its position known on Tuesday when Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning addressed a press conference in Beijing.

“As Nigeria’s comprehensive strategic partner, China firmly supports the Nigerian government in leading its people on the development path suited to its national conditions. China firmly opposes any country using religion and human rights as an excuse to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, and threatening other countries with sanctions and force,” Ms Ning said, according to the transcript of the interview posted on the Chinese government’s website.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the threat by US President Donald Trump to either sanction Nigeria or use military action if the Nigerian government does not stop what US officials claim is a genocide against Nigerian Christians.

Mr Trump also designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and claimed that Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria, as radical Islamic groups were killing thousands of Christians.

This comes after weeks of campaigns and demands by some US lawmakers for the country to sanction Nigeria for allowing the “persecution of Christians.”

The officials had falsely accused the Nigerian government of facilitating an anti-Christian crusade in an attempt to rid the country of Christians.

The Nigerian government has, however, repeatedly denied the claims.

In a statement issued on Saturday, President Bola Tinubu rejected the assertion of an existential threat to the Nigerian Christian faith, noting that the country strictly upholds the constitutional guarantees of religious liberty.

He stated that the portrayals of Nigeria as facilitating Christian genocide “do not reflect our national reality.”

He emphasised that Nigeria “opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.”

Similarly, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that Nigeria is committed to tackling the violent extremism “fueled by special interests who have helped drive such decay and division in countries across the intersecting West African and Sahel regions.”

“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” it said.

By Beloved John, Premium Times

Related story: Nigeria pushes back on Trump’s claims over Christian killings

Video - Nigeria-US tensions rise over religious killings claims

US President Donald Trump has threatened military action against Nigeria, accusing the government of failing to protect Christians. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu rejected the claims, saying insecurity affects all Nigerians regardless of faith and that freedom of worship is guaranteed.

CGTN Africa

Video - Trump threatens to launch attacks in Nigeria over ‘killing of Christians’

US President Donald Trump is threatening to send military forces into Nigeria, unless the government stops what he called the killings of Christians by terrorists. A few hours before Trump’s threat, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu released a statement stressing that his government “continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions”. Bulama Bukarti, a Nigerian humanitarian lawyer and analyst on conflict and development, told Al Jazeera that President Trump's claims are not credible.

CGTN Africa

Nigeria rejects claims of Christian genocide as Trump mulls military action

Nigeria has said it would welcome assistance from the United States in fighting armed groups, as long as its territorial integrity is respected, as US President Donald Trump continued to threaten military action in the West African country over what he claimed was the persecution of Christians there.

Officials and experts in Nigeria on Sunday denied Trump’s claims of mass killings of Christians, noting that Boko Haram and al-Qaeda-linked groups target people of all faiths in Africa’s most populous country.

But Trump – who has directed his government to prepare for possible “fast” military action in Africa’s most populous country – doubled down on the threat on Sunday, saying he was he was considering a range of military options in Nigeria,

When asked by a reporter if he was considering US troops on the ground in Nigeria or air strikes, Trump replied: “Could be, I mean, a lot of things – I envisage a lot of things.”

“They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen,” he added.

Nigeria, a country of more than 200 million people, is divided between the largely Muslim north and mostly Christian south. Armed groups have been engaged in a conflict that has been largely confined to the northeast of the country, which is majority Muslim, and has dragged on for more than 15 years.

Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, a spokesman for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an interview with Al Jazeera on Sunday, denied Trump’s claims of mass killings of Christians.

“We are not proud of the security situation that we are passing through, but to go with the narrative” that only Christians are targeted, “no, it is not true. There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria”, he said.

“We’ve continuously made our point clear that we acknowledge the fact that there are killings that have taken place in Nigeria, but those killings were not restricted to Christians alone. Muslims are being killed. Traditional worshippers are being killed… The majority is not the Christian population.”

Imomotimi Ebienfa said Nigeria was ready to work with its partners to “fight this scourge of terrorism, but not any passive action that will undermine the sovereignty of our country”.

He also vehemently denied that the Nigerian government has allowed the killings to take place.

“The killings are not sanctioned by the Nigerian government,” he said. “The killing of any Nigerian in any part of the country is a loss to the country … The perpetrators of these killings are terrorist groups Boko Haram and other al-Qaeda and [ISIL] ISIS-affiliated groups that are perpetuating this crisis.”

An adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu also echoed the sentiment.

Daniel Bwala told the Reuters news agency on Sunday that the country would “welcome US assistance as long as it recognises our territorial integrity”.

Bwala sought to play down tensions between the two states, despite Trump calling Nigeria a “disgraced country”.

“We don’t take it literally, because we know Donald Trump thinks well of Nigeria,” Bwala said.

“I am sure by the time these two leaders meet and sit, there would be better outcomes in our joint resolve to fight terrorism,” he said.

Trump’s threat of military action came a day after his administration added Nigeria back to a “Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations that Washington says have violated religious freedoms. Other nations on the list include China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia and Pakistan.

Tinubu, a Muslim from southern Nigeria who is married to a Christian pastor, on Saturday pushed back against accusations of religious intolerance and defended his country’s efforts to protect religious freedom.

When making key government and military appointments, Tinubu, like his predecessors, has sought to strike a balance to make sure that Muslims and Christians are represented equally. Last week, Tinubu changed the country’s military leadership and appointed a Christian as the new defence chief.

“Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions,” Tinubu said in a statement.

“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.”
‘No Christian genocide’

While human rights groups have urged the government to do more to address unrest in the country, which has experienced deadly attacks by Boko Haram and other armed groups, experts say claims of a “Christian genocide” are false and simplistic.

“All the data reveals is that there is no Christian genocide going on in Nigeria,” Bulama Bukarti, a Nigerian humanitarian lawyer and analyst on conflict and development, told Al Jazeera. This is “a dangerous far-right narrative that has been simmering for a long time that President Trump is amplifying today”.

“It is divisive, and it is only going to further increase instability in Nigeria,” Bukarti added, explaining that armed groups in Nigeria have been targeting both Muslims and Christians.

“They bomb markets. They bomb churches. They bomb mosques, and they attack every civilian location they find. They do not discriminate between Muslims and Christians.”

Data by ACLED, a US crisis-monitoring group, backs Bugatti’s assertion.

ACLED research shows that out of 1,923 attacks on civilians in Nigeria so far this year, the number of those targeting Christians because of their religion stood at 50.

“Insurgent groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa often present their campaigns as anti-Christian, but in practice, their violence is indiscriminate and devastates entire communities,” said Ladd Serwat, a senior Africa analyst at ACLED.

The violence in Nigeria, he told Reuters, “is part of the complex and often overlapping conflict dynamics in the country over political power, land disputes, ethnicity, cult affiliation, and banditry”.

Serwat said the recent claims circulating among some US right-wing circles that as many as 100,000 Christians had been killed in Nigeria since 2009 are not supported by available data.

Ebenezer Obadare, a senior fellow of Africa studies at the Washington, DC-based Council on Foreign Relations, agreed and said the Trump administration should work with Nigerian authorities to address the “common enemy”.

“This is precisely the moment when Nigeria needs assistance, especially military assistance,” Obadare told Al Jazeera. “The wrong thing to do is to invade Nigeria and override the authorities or the authority of the Nigerian government. Doing that will be counterproductive.”

Al Jazeera

Video - Nigerian President Tinubu: Country is on economic recovery path

President Bola Tinubu says that Nigerians should brace for better days ahead following drastic and controversial reforms that have left millions struggling with rising costs. However, analysts disagree, saying the country of nearly 200 million people is struggling with a high unemployment rate.

CGTN Africa

President Tinubu says "worst is over" on independence day amid worsening hardship

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared on Wednesday that the “worst is over” following a series of painful economic reforms that have left millions struggling with rising costs and deepening poverty.

In a national address marking Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day, Tinubu defended his administration’s decision to scrap fuel subsidies and unify the foreign exchange rate - moves that triggered inflation and widespread public anger but, he said, were necessary to “reset” the economy.

“Less than three years later, the seeds of those difficult but necessary decisions are bearing fruit,” Tinubu said.

He cited second-quarter GDP growth of 4.23% - the fastest in four years - and a decline in inflation to 20.12% in August, the lowest in three years.

Tinubu also pointed to five consecutive quarters of trade surpluses, a rebound in oil production to 1.68 million barrels per day, and a rise in external reserves to $42.03 billion - the highest since 2019.

The president said the government had disbursed 330 billion naira ($222.90 million) to eight million vulnerable households under its social investment programme and was expanding infrastructure across rail, roads, airports, and seaports.

However, critics questioned the transparency of the cash transfer scheme. Two weeks ago, the finance minister announced the disbursement, sparking calls for a public register of beneficiaries.

Despite Tinubu’s upbeat tone, the IMF’s most recent Article IV assessment warned of persistently high inflation and worsening poverty.

Over 129 million Nigerians - more than half the population - live below the poverty line, while funding cuts by international donors have forced the World Food Programme to shut down 150 nutrition centres in the conflict-hit northeast.

“We are racing against time,” Tinubu said, even as critics including opposition party leader Peter Obi argue that his spending priorities have not matched the scale of the country’s humanitarian and economic challenges.

The speech comes amid growing labour unrest over the recent dismissal of 800 workers at the privately owned Dangote Oil Refinery for unionising.

The dispute has disrupted power supply and could threaten the oil production gains touted by Tinubu. ($1=1,480.4900 naira)

By Isaac Anyaogu, Reuters

Video - Nigeria’s new 20 percent expat tax sparks investment concerns

Nigeria’s 2025 Tax Act, effective January 1, 2026, will impose a 20 percent tax on expatriates earning over $521 monthly, replacing outdated regulations to generate trillions of naira. Critics warn it could deter foreign investment and complicate diplomatic ties.

CGTN Africa

President Tinubu warns UN: Reform or risk irrelevance

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has delivered a strongly worded reform policy proposal to the United Nations on Wednesday, warning that the global body must embrace sweeping restructurings or face growing irrelevance as world events increasingly bypass its influence.

The president criticised the organisation’s record, pointing to the ongoing human suffering in the Middle East and other regions as “stains on our collective humanity.”

In his address to the UN General Assembly’s 80th session, President Tinubu, who was represented by his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, warned that the UN’s credibility is being undermined by the gulf between its words and its deeds while positioning Nigeria’s economic transformation as a model for developing nations.

“For all our careful diplomatic language, the slow pace of progress on these hardy perennials of the UN General Assembly debate has led some to look away from the multilateral model. Some years ago, I noticed a shift at this gathering: key events were beginning to take place outside this hall, and the most sought-after voices were no longer heads of state,” the president said.

President Tinubu outlined four key reform demands, starting with Nigeria’s call for permanent UN Security Council membership.

“Nigeria must have a permanent seat at the UN Security Council. This should take place as part of a wider process of institutional reform. The United Nations will recover its relevance only when it reflects the world as it is, not as it was,” he stated.

The president emphasised Nigeria’s transformation from “a colony of 20 million people, absent from the tables where decisions about our fate were taken” to “a sovereign nation of over 236 million, projected to be the third most populous country in the world, with one of the youngest and most dynamic populations on earth.”

President Tinubu also expressed deep frustration with the pace of international progress on critical issues, from nuclear disarmament to Security Council reform.

“When we speak of nuclear disarmament, the proliferation of small weapons, Security Council reform, fair access to trade and finance, and the conflicts and human suffering across the world, we must recognise the truth. These are stains on our collective humanity,” he stated.

Taking a direct stance on the Palestinian issue, the president declared: “We say, without stuttering and without doubt, that a two-state solution remains the most dignified path to lasting peace for the people of Palestine.”

He added: “The people of Palestine are not collateral damage in a civilisation searching for order. They are human beings, equal in worth, entitled to the same freedoms and dignities that the rest of us take for granted.”

Speaking further, President Tinubu proposed radical reforms to the global financial system, calling for new mechanisms to address the sovereign debt crisis plaguing developing nations.

“I am calling for a new and binding mechanism to manage sovereign debt, a sort of International Court of Justice for money, that will allow emerging economies to escape the economic straitjacket of primary production of unprocessed exports,” he said.

He emphasised the need for “urgent action to promote debt relief – not as an act of charity but as a clear path to the peace and prosperity that benefits us all.”

The president positioned Africa’s natural resources as central to future global stability, emphasising the need for African control over strategic minerals.

“Africa – and I must include Nigeria – has in abundance the critical minerals that will drive the technologies of the future,” President Tinubu said. “Investment in exploration, development and processing of these minerals, in Africa, will diversify supply to the international market, reduce tensions between major economies and help shape the architecture for peace and prosperity.”

He insisted that countries producing strategic minerals must “benefit fairly from those minerals – in terms of investment, partnership, local processing and jobs. When we export raw materials, as we have been doing, tension, inequality, and instability fester.”

On the new information frontiers, President Tinubu called for closing the digital divide, referencing the UN Secretary-General’s vision that “‘A.I.’ must stand for ‘Africa Included’.”

“I am calling for a new dialogue, to ensure we promote the best of the opportunities that are arising – and promote the level of access that allows emerging economies more quickly, to close a wealth and knowledge gap that is in no one’s interest,” he stated.

Addressing Nigeria’s ongoing economic transformation, President Tinubu acknowledged the difficult reality facing his citizens but said that Nigeria’s economic reforms represent a model for resilience.

“The government has taken difficult but necessary steps to restructure our economy and remove distortions, including subsidies and currency controls that benefited the few at the expense of the many,” he explained.

“I believe in the power of the market to transform. Our task is to enable and facilitate, and to trust in the ingenuity and enterprise of the people. But the process of transition is difficult,” the President said.

On Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and violent extremism, President Tinubu outlined a philosophy that prioritises ideological victory over military conquest.

“From this long and difficult struggle with violent extremism, one truth stands clear: military tactics may win battles measured in months and years, but in wars that span generations, it is values and ideas that deliver the ultimate victory,” he stated.

President Tinubu call for renewed commitment to multilateralism, while reaffirming “Nigeria’s commitment to peace, to development, to unity, to multilateralism, and to the defence of human rights is beyond compromise. For none of us is safe until all of us are safe.”

“We must make real change, change that works, and change that is seen to work. If we fail, the direction of travel is already predictable,” he warned.

Premium Times

Nigeria considers giving oil contract control to regulator

Nigeria is considering appointing the state regulator to take control of the country's existing oil contracts, rather than the state oil company, according to a draft legislative amendment seen by Reuters.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT This could reshape how Africa’s top oil producer governs its petroleum sector, making the regulator both an umpire and a player, blurring the lines between regulation and participation and raising concern over potential conflicts of interest.

It also raises corporate governance concerns because it removes the power of state company NNPC's board to approve its budget and formulate strategy.

CONTEXT The law that would be amended is the 2021 Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which empowered NNPC to represent Nigeria's interests in a variety of commercial oil contracts. The amendment would transfer that role to the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

A letter from the Attorney General to the minister in charge of gas, seen by Reuters, said the amendment was necessary because "some provisions of the PIA have created structural and legal channels through which substantial revenues of the Federation are being diverted away from the Federation account".

KEY QUOTE

"The observed decline in net oil revenue inflows is largely attributable to statutory leakages and opaque deductions under the current PIA architecture," said Lateef Fagbemi, Nigeria's attorney general and minister of justice.

By Isaac Anyaogu, Reuters

U.S. defends visa revocations, cites security concerns as Nigerians face entry barriers

Responding to reports of visa revocations affecting Nigerian students, business travelers, and professionals who were asked to return their passports after being informed their visas were no longer valid, the U.S. Embassy in Abuja said the process was a security measure that falls within its legal mandate.

In an earlier report, Business Insider Africa disclosed that some Nigerians were being blocked from entering the U.S. after discovering at airports that their visas had been cancelled without prior notice.

The development was revealed by former NNPC spokesperson Femi Soneye, who said several Nigerians had reached out to him to complain about the cancellations, stressing that they came without any form of warning.

Embassy defends move to ‘secure borders’

A spokesperson for the Embassy told BBC News Pidgin that the revocations were being carried out on “a scale never seen before” as part of efforts to secure America’s borders.

Citing Section 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the spokesperson noted that both the Secretary of State and consular officers are empowered to revoke visas at any time if there is “indication of a potential ineligibility.”

“The Trump Administration is protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process,” the Embassy stated.

“Prohibiting entry to the United States by those who may pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety is key to protecting U.S. citizens at home.”

Officials further explained that revocations may target cases involving visa overstays, violations of U.S. law, engagement in criminal activity, or alleged ties to terrorism.

While Nigeria is not on Washington’s formal list of banned or restricted countries, the revocations have nevertheless alarmed many Nigerians who argue that the process lacks transparency, given that most recipients were told only that “new information had come up.”

The controversy has fueled frustration among affected travelers, particularly students and professionals, who say the sudden withdrawals have disrupted their academic, business, and personal plans.

Still, Washington has made it clear that its stance is unlikely to soften, as it continues to emphasize security imperatives over diplomatic sensitivities.

By Solomon Ekanem, Business Insider Africa

Related story: Nigerian U.S. visa holders quietly blocked from entry as investigations unfold

Why Nigeria promised its women’s basketball team new apartments

Players on Nigeria’s female basketball team will receive a cash reward of $100,000 each and a three-bedroom apartment following their win at the Fiba Women’s AfroBasket Championship. That comes just weeks after Nigeria’s women’s football team, the Super Falcons, were promised a similar award after winning the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

President Bola Tinubu says the women are deserving of the recognition because they have inspired Nigerians to dream big and brought honour to the West African country. But reaction to the cash prize has been mixed, with some saying such rewards are unsustainable given the country’s economic difficulties.

Mansur Abubakar, a BBC reporter in Abuja, tells us about the government’s promises and describes the apartments in more detail. We also get reactions from Nigerian basketball fans. And William from the What in the World team tells us about the various incentives — from cash to cows — that other countries have offered athletes.

BBC

Nigeria military kills scores of gang members in air and ground raids

The Nigerian air force has killed scores of gunmen, known locally as "bandits", who were members of criminal gangs operating in Zamfara state, the military has said.

The air force said in a statement on Monday that it carried out a raid in Makakkari forest, north-west Nigeria, which was the hideout of the gunmen who were believed to be behind some high-profile kidnappings in the area.

It said it conducted the operation after surveillance detected more than 400 gang members preparing to attack a village.

Over the past two weeks, armed gangs have targeted nearby settlements, killing scores and kidnapping many more. At least 13 security personnel have also been killed.

The aerial strikes, in coordination with attacks on the ground, led to the deaths of "several notorious bandit kingpins and scores of their foot soldiers," air force spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said.

He added that the ground forces intercepted and killed others trying to flee the forest.

In parts of Nigeria, kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative business for some.

The bandits, motivated by financial gain, have also increased their cooperation with jihadist groups that have been waging a 16-year armed insurgency in the north-east.

In recent years, the military has launched a number of operations against the gangs, including last month when at least 95 gang members were killed - but the violence has persisted.

By Chris Ewokor, BBC

Video - Nurses strike hits health services in Nigeria

Nurses across Nigeria are protesting poor working conditions. The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives announced the week-long strike could be extended if its demands are not met.

CGTN Africa

Video - Nigeria eyes regional role as refined fuel hub

Nigeria’s oil minister, Heineken Lokpobiri, reaffirmed the country’s ambition to become a regional hub for refined petroleum products. Despite being a major crude producer, Nigeria still imports over 70 percent of its fuel, but officials say scaling up local refining and regional collaboration could help stabilize pump prices across West Africa.

CGTN Africa

Video - Former Nigerian President Buhari laid to rest

Thousands of mourners gathered at the residence of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to pay their respects. The 82-year-old former leader was laid to rest on Tuesday, in his garden.

CGTN

Video - Analyst reflects on late Nigerian President Buhari's legacy

Policy analyst Christopher Ogunmodede examines former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s triumphs and challenges as a military officer and civilian president.

CGTN

Nigeria becomes first African country to regulate media portrayal of tobacco, rituals

Nigeria has become the first African country to formally regulate the portrayal of tobacco use, money rituals, and narcotics in media content, according to a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES by the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB).

The announcement was made following the board’s presentation at the 2025 World Tobacco Conference held in Ireland, where the country’s new policy was praised as a bold and visionary step toward safeguarding public health and cultural values.

The National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, which positioned Nigeria as a trailblazer in African media regulation, said the regulation borders on the control of the promotion and glamourisation of tobacco, narcotics, ritual killings, and money rituals at the World Tobacco Conference in Ireland, held from 22- 27 June 2025.

The regulation, a first of its kind in Africa, was lauded as a bold step toward safeguarding public health and cultural values.

At the world conference, the Executive Director of the NFVCB, Shaibu Husseini, delivered a status report detailing the regulation’s objectives, stakeholder engagement process, and enforcement mechanisms.

Policy

The policy, which was approved and gazetted in 2024 under the leadership of the Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, targeted harmful portrayals in Nigerian films, music videos, and skits.


The conference recognised Nigeria as the first African nation to implement such a comprehensive measure, with attendees commending Mrs Musawa’s leadership as “a courageous and visionary move to protect public health and preserve cultural values.”

One significant outcome of the conference was the various pledges by several international organisations to assist Nigeria in continuing to implement the regulation.

The support—set is expected to be delivered through their local partner, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, which will include logistical and technical assistance to enhance compliance and awareness.

Mr Husseini highlighted the significance of this backing at the conference, stating, “The recognition received at the World Tobacco Conference is a direct result of the Honourable Minister’s unwavering commitment to responsible cultural governance and public safety.”

Commitment to Enforcement

The NFVCB emphasised its dedication to ensuring the regulation’s success, collaborating with local and international partners to prevent the Nigerian creative industry from promoting harmful behaviours or ideologies.

The policy’s focus on curbing the glamourisation of tobacco, narcotics, and ritualistic practices aligns with global efforts to mitigate the influence of media on public health.

By Omotoyosi Idowu, Premium Times

Nigerian court upholds $220M penalty on Meta for privacy breach

Meta Platforms has lost its appeal against a $220 million fine imposed by Nigeria’s competition watchdog for breaching local consumer protection, data privacy, and related laws.

The investigation began in May 2021 when the FCCPC launched an inquiry into WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy. According to the agency, Meta was later notified of the findings, but the “remedy package” the company proposed did not adequately address the concerns raised.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) issued a fine in July 2024, accusing Meta of engaging in discriminatory and exploitative practices against Nigerian users, practices that, according to the FCCPC, differ from how the tech giant operates in other countries with similar regulatory standards.

Meta appealed the decision, contending that the fine was excessive and that the FCCPC’s directives were unclear and technically unfeasible to carry out under Nigerian law.

However, the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal upheld the penalty, dismissing Meta’s appeal and ordering compliance within 60 days.

The tribunal has ordered Meta and WhatsApp to immediately stop the unauthorized sharing of Nigerian users’ data with third parties, including Facebook.

They must also restore consent mechanisms that give users control over how their data is shared and revert to their 2016 data-sharing policy.

In addition, Meta is required to submit a compliance report to both the FCCPC and the NDPC by July 1, 2025, and reimburse the FCCPC $35,000 to cover investigation expenses.

By Adekunle Agbetiloye, Business Insider Africa