Programme: City Talks with Reuben Abati

Time: 12:00

Guest: Hon Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.

Honorable Minister for Women Affairs 

Topic: Post CSW69 2025 - Key Outcomes & Next Steps for Nigerian Women

Date April 26th, 2025

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Meeting ID: 928 7714 1732

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Nigeria’s Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal on Friday ordered WhatsApp and Meta Platforms Incorporated to pay a $220 million penalty and $35,000 to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) within 60 days over data discrimination practices in Nigeria.

The tribunal upheld the $220 million penalty imposed by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on WhatsApp and Meta Platforms Incorporated, as well as $35,000 as reimbursement for the Commission’s investigation against the social media giant. 

The tribunal also dismissed the appeal of WhatsApp and Meta Platforms Incorporated regarding the $220 million penalty imposed by the FCCPC for alleged discriminatory practices in Nigeria.

The tribunal’s three-member panel, led by Thomas Okosun, passed the verdict on Friday.

WhatsApp and Meta’s legal team, led by Professor Gbolahan Elias (SAN), and the FCCPC’s legal team, represented by Babatunde Irukera (SAN), a former Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, made their final arguments on behalf of their respective clients on January 28, 2025.

Nairametrics previously reported that WhatsApp and Meta Platforms Incorporated had appealed to the tribunal, arguing that the FCCPC’s $220 million penalty should be overturned, citing 22 reasons, including alleged vague directives, unjustifiable data-sharing orders, and procedural errors.

The appellants claimed that the FCCPC’s demands were vague, technically impossible to implement within the stipulated timeframe, and unsupported by Nigerian law.

The fine imposed by the FCCPC followed an investigation into alleged violations of data protection and consumer rights by Meta and WhatsApp.

The Commission expressed concerns about Meta’s allegedly abusive and invasive practices affecting data subjects and consumers in Nigeria.

What WhatsApp and FCCPC Legal Documents Say 

In their appeal, the appellants argued that the FCCPC denied them a fair hearing by imposing a hefty penalty without giving them an opportunity to understand how the penalty would be calculated or to respond to the calculation of the proposed amount.

• The appellants contended that, contrary to the FCCPC’s compliance order, identifying and building a consent mechanism for each data point processed by Nigerian users would be impossible and extremely expensive.
• However, the FCCPC maintained in its argument that the $220 million penalty was based on its resolve to remedy the company’s alleged discriminatory practices rather than impose a financial punishment.
• The Commission also highlighted its findings, which revealed that Meta engaged in exploitative practices that violated constitutional guarantees by allowing unauthorized access to and misuse of private information.

Elias had urged the tribunal not to rely on foreign laws that are not applicable in Nigeria, maintaining there is no abuse of dominance since users can choose from other providers such as TikTok and Google Meet.

In response, Irukera urged the tribunal to uphold the Commission’s orders and dismiss the appeal in its entirety. He countered the appellants’ claims about foreign precedents, stating that while foreign law is not binding, it is persuasive in similar contexts.

The FCCPC also sought the tribunal’s leave to transfer the Commission’s “entire record within its custody” to the panel to support a fair and transparent adjudication of the dispute.

What The Tribunal Said 

Passing its verdict on Friday, the tribunal stated that the reliance on foreign decisions by the FCCPC is appropriate and persuasive in law.

• The tribunal partially blocked the FCCPC’s entire record, which it sought to tender, while allowing its internal memo, email from Udo Udoma Law Firm, and an internal memo dated May 7, 2024, as supplementary records of appeal.
• The tribunal held that the final and supplementary orders of the FCCPC were validly executed in line with the FCCPC Act and the Evidence Act.
• The tribunal also held that WhatsApp and Meta did not provide any substantial evidence to dispute the FCCPC’s findings.
• Regarding WhatsApp’s allegations of fair hearing, Okosun stated that the issue was resolved in favor of the FCCPC because the Commission had accorded a fair hearing to the social media giants.

“The appellants were given ample opportunity to be heard,” Okosun said.

“The tribunal finds that the FCCPC did not exceed its powers while making orders in respect to data protection,” the tribunal said, adding that the FCCPC acted within its lawful mandate to address market dominance.

• The tribunal found that Meta and WhatsApp were wrong to transfer data of consumers to a third party, which contravened Nigeria’s data protection laws.

• The tribunal agreed with the FCCPC that the privacy policy of WhatsApp and Meta breached Nigerian laws.

“The tribunal finds no error in the overall orders of the FCCPC,” the tribunal held.

“Accordingly, the administrative penalties of the FCCPC were lawfully imposed on Meta and WhatsApp,” the tribunal held.

The tribunal ruled that the appellants’ appeal against the FCCPC failed and was dismissed.

The tribunal subsequently made the following orders:

• Meta parties shall immediately reinstate the right of Nigerian users to determine how their data is shared.
• Meta parties must submit a letter of compliance to this effect by July 1, 2025.
• Meta parties must ensure that they update their application to allow Nigerians to fully express their legitimate right to relate with each data point.
• Meta parties must, within 10 days, provide their proposed policy to the FCCPC and NDPC, and the same must be published.
• Meta shall immediately stop the process of sharing Nigerian users’ information with Facebook and other third parties.
• The tribunal directed Meta to immediately revert to its data-sharing policy of 2016.
• Meta parties must cease the tying of WhatsApp data to Facebook and other third parties without explicitly seeking and obtaining consent from Nigerian users and must provide evidence of compliance.
• Meta must reimburse the FCCPC $35,000 for its investigation.
• Meta must pay the $220 million fine no later than 60 days from Wednesday, April 30, 2025.

What You Should Know 

Following the FCCPC’s orders, WhatsApp stated: “In 2021, we globally informed users about how talking to businesses would work. While there was initial confusion, it has proven quite popular.”

Similar fines are not uncommon. The European Data Protection Board had fined Meta a record €1.2 billion for non-compliance with EU privacy regulations.

Over the past five years, Big Tech companies such as Amazon, Meta, and Google have faced significant fines under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The legality of the FCCPC’s penalties against Meta Platforms Incorporated is now a matter for the tribunal to decide.

[Nairametrics]

Air Peace has said that it will resume flight operations on Friday following suspension of strike by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) workers.

The airline’s Head of Corporate Communications, Dr Ejike Ndiulo, disclosed in a statement on Thursday night in Lagos.

According to Ndiulo, Air Peace is grateful to its customers and the general public for patience, understanding and support throughout the period of the strike.

”Your resilience and trust in our brand mean the world to us.

“We commend the active and decisive intervention of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), whose leadership and commitment were pivotal in resolving the impasse and restoring normalcy within the aviation industry,” Ndiulo said.

He noted the minister’s swift engagement with aviation stakeholders, his transparent approach and his dedication to the stability and progress of the aviation sector.

According to him, Keyamo’s efforts not only facilitated timely resolution of the industrial dispute but also underscored his broader vision for a safer, more efficient and investor-friendly Nigerian aviation industry.

Ndiulo reaffirmed Air Peace’s commitment to providing safe, reliable and world-class services.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NIMET workers on Thursday shelved the strike which began on April 22 following Keyamo’s intervention.

The workers downed tools in protest of alleged poor working conditions, including non-implementation of the 2019 Consequential Adjustment to the National Minimum Wage (affecting at least 30 staff).

They are also demanding a 25/35 per cent salary increase, 40 per cent hardship/peculiar allowance, and annual staff trainings.

Keyamo had promised to find lasting solutions to the problems.

[Guardian]

A former Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Marshall Stanley-Uwom has filed a suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Federal Government from disbursing funds intended for local government councils in the state to the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd).

Uwom, a former lawmaker during Barr Nyesom Wike’s tenure as governor, resting on Section 7(1) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) and the Supreme Court’s ruling, mainatained that Ibas lacks legal authority to appoint unelected officials as caretakers for the LGAs in Rivers.

He argued that their appointments are not permissible under the established legal framework.

Stanley-Uwom also sought an order that the declaration of State of Emergency in Rivers State issued and or proclaimed by the President has ceased to have effect.

He is also seeking an order “compelling the 7th Defendant (Ibas) to immediately vacate the office of Sole Administrator of Rivers State and allow the democratically elected Governor of Rivers State to resume his office.”

Aside from President Bola Tinubu, who was cited as the first defendant in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/797/2025, equally listed as the second to tenth defendants in the matter are the National Assembly, the Senate, the Senate President, the House of Representatives, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Vice Admiral Ibas, Rtd, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Federation Account Allocation Committee.

In the Originating Summons, the plaintiff, represented by a team of lawyers headed by Sylvester Evbuomwan, informed the court that he is a Prince of the Agba Royal Family of Abua and holds the title of Adibaal Abuan 1 of Abua, located in the Abua-Odual LGA of Rivers State.

[Leadership]

The Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has disclosed that in its first year of operation, over 500,000 Nigerian students applied for loans through the NELFUND portal.

The fund said this was achieved within just 11 months of operations, underscoring the need for accessible student financing in Nigeria.

Managing Director/CEO of NELFUND, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, said: “This is more than just a number, it’s a signal of hope for families across Nigeria. We are witnessing a nationwide demand for opportunity, and NELFUND is proud to be at the heart of this transformation,”

He said since the launch of the portal, students across the country have actively engaged with the application process for both institutional and upkeep loans demonstrating the relevance and urgency of the Fund’s efforts.

While noting that NELFUND remains committed to ensuring transparency, accessibility, and efficiency as the process continues, he called on all stakeholders to join hands in supporting the vision of equitable education for all.

He equally urged students to contact their team for more information.

[DailyTrust]

British singer, Ed Sheeran has shared that he once lost his sight temporally after smoking with legendary American rapper, Snoop Dogg.

The ‘Shape Of You’ hitmaker disclosed this on his TikTok page recently.

Sheeran posted a video of himself with Snoop Dogg, who could be seen wrapping what looks like weed, with the caption, “Last time I smoked with Snoop I lost my ability to see.”

Last year, Snoop Dogg teased his fans after announcing that he was “giving up smoking.”

The excitement was cut short after he revealed days later in an advertisement video that he was referring to smoky stoves and not smoking weed.

Ed Sheeran has previously revealed in an interview that Nigerian singer, Burna Boy is one of the “heaviest” weed smokers he has ever worked with.

He has collaborated with Burna Boy on Stormzy’s ‘Own It’ which went number 1 in the UK and ‘Hold You For My Hand’ off the Nigerian singer’s ‘Love, Damini’ album.

[DailyPost]

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has attributed Nigeria’s stunted growth and rising poverty levels to the failure of political leadership over the years.

He also lamented that Nigeria has more poor people than China, Indonesia, Vietnam, combined.

Obi made this assertion while delivering a lecture on “Politics and Change in Nigeria” at Johns Hopkins University in the United States on Thursday, at the invitation of Professor Peter Lewis, renowned author of “Growing Apart: Comparing Indonesia and Nigeria.”

Sharing highlights of the lecture via his verified X handle on Friday, Obi emphasised that the fate of a nation is closely tied to the quality of its leadership.

“The failure of a nation depends largely on its Political Leadership. Competent, capable and compassionate political leadership, with integrity, will help nations to achieve sustainable growth and development,” he said.

Obi compared Nigeria’s trajectory over the past 35 years with that of three other developing nations such as China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, and pointed out that, while these countries have moved into higher categories of human development, Nigeria has regressed.

“In 1990, the year the measurement of the Human Development Index (HDI) was started, these 3 comparable nations, including Nigeria, were all classified under the medium category… 35 years later, 3 of these nations have moved up to the High category of HDI while Nigeria has fallen into the low category,” he stated.

On the economic front, Obi highlighted how Nigeria, which once had a higher GDP per capita than China and Vietnam, has now fallen far behind.

“As of 1990, while Nigeria had a GDP per capita of $556, China had $317, Indonesia had $578, and Vietnam had only $99… Today, Nigeria’s per capita is about one-fifth of Indonesia’s ($5000) and Vietnam’s ($4400) GDP per capita and below one-tenth of China’s ($13,000),” he said.

He also raised concern about Nigeria’s alarming poverty figures, noting that the country now has more poor people than China, Indonesia, and Vietnam combined.

“In 1990… China had about 750 million people living in poverty… Today, however, Nigeria has more poor people than these 3 countries combined,” he lamented.

According to Obi, the distinguishing factor in the progress made by these countries lies in their political leadership’s commitment to development-focused policies.

“These comparable nations, and indeed other progressive nations, unlike Nigeria, have competent leadership with character, capacity and compassion, committed to prioritizing investment in critical areas of developmental measures; Education, Health, and pulling people out of poverty,” he explained.

Obi also reaffirmed his optimism about Nigeria’s potential, insisting that meaningful change remains achievable.

“A New Nigeria is Possible,” he declared.

[Punch]

A local council candidate for Reform UK is facing scrutiny after it emerged he runs a business that helps Nigerian students secure UK study visas—despite his party leader, Nigel Farage, calling for a dramatic reduction in foreign student numbers.

Christopher Adegoke, standing in the Hucknall West ward for Nottinghamshire County Council in the upcoming 1 May elections, is a director at KOT Educational Services & Tours Ltd. The Nigerian-based company, which also has an office in Nottingham, acts as a placement agency for international students seeking to study in the UK, reports MailOnline.

According to the company’s website, KOT offers “visa counselling and support services” to help students obtain the necessary study visas. Adegoke is also listed on the British Council’s official database of certified counsellors who promote UK universities and support international applicants.

The candidate’s business interests appear to clash with the public stance of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has repeatedly railed against rising numbers of foreign students. Farage has accused British universities of being “absolutely drunk on foreign money” and has called for the number of sponsored study visas to be “slashed.”

Adegoke’s background and public statements have added to growing questions around Reform UK’s candidate selection process. In a 2022 post on social media, Adegoke shared content supporting slavery reparations for African nations—an issue that Farage and other senior Reform figures have categorically dismissed as “nonsense” and “ridiculous.”

Speaking in a campaign video posted on Facebook, Adegoke defended both his business and his party affiliation, stating he has lived in Nottinghamshire since 2010 and originally came to the UK as a business migrant.

“I grew up in Africa where I co-founded a children’s initative that later evolved into an education placement agency since 1998,” he said. “We have placed legitimate international students into UK universities and colleges. These students have contributed £10m in tuition fees and £3.5m in living costs to the UK economy.”

Defending his political alignment, he said: “Let me be clear, Reform UK is not against legal migration – what it firmly opposes is illegal migration.”

Adegoke also said he had “proudly passed a rigorous selection process” to become a Reform UK candidate.

A spokesperson for the party responded to criticism by turning the spotlight on the Conservatives: “The Tories are the architects of the failed mass immigration experiment. They opened the borders and allowed millions in.

“The public know that only Reform UK can be trusted to freeze immigration and stop the boats.”

A Conservative source, however, cast doubt on Reform UK’s consistency, telling MailOnline: “Nigel Farage personally promised that Reform UK vetting was to a standard never done before.

“So either this was another lie or Reform has developed some new soft-touch migration policies they don’t want the country to know about.”

 [Vanguard]

Felix Morka, national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says it is not the responsibility of the ruling party to strengthen the opposition.

The APC spokesperson was reacting to concerns that recent defections to the ruling party could push Nigeria towards a one-party state.

Speaking on TVC on Friday, Morka said the APC remains strong despite pressures from within and outside the party.

“The APC today, clearly, in comparison to all of the other parties in the opposition, is holding its own,” he said.

“Our party is standing very strong and resilient, even in the face of enormous pressures, both internal and external and that’s what a party should be.”

He said every political organisation is bound to have its challenges.

“A political party shouldn’t be that entity that is without its own internal challenges,” he added.

“But I think what matters is how it deals with it — how the party manages those contradictions or internal contradictions or conflicts of interest, which is natural to every institution, especially a political party that’s an agglomeration of people who may have diverse interests and from diverse backgrounds.”

Morka dismissed suggestions that the APC is weakening democracy by receiving defectors from other parties.

“There is no democratic idea or norms or system anywhere in the world where a party, a ruling party, is under obligation to build the opposition,” he said.

“Parties are in business to compete for power. That’s what they are supposed to do. That’s the idea behind any democratic system.

“So this idea, this suggestion that people come into APC, therefore APC is undermining democracy, that is ridiculous.”

‘BLAME ATIKU’

The APC spokesman blamed Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, for the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He said Abubakar flouted the party’s constitution by running for president in 2023 despite a zoning arrangement that favoured the south.

“The problem in the PDP was Atiku’s obdurate refusal to abide by the convention of his own party and its constitution,” he said.

“He had no business running for that election when under their constitution, a southern candidate was mandated as, you know, under the rotational agreement to run.

“He was the one who created the problem. So it wasn’t his nomination. He himself was, you know, at the root of the problem that the PDP is facing today.”

On Wednesday, Ajibola Basiru, national secretary of the APC, likened the ruling party to Jehovah’s Witnesses — a Christian group famed for its door-to-door evangelism.

He said one of the policies of the APC is to build a functional and efficient party structure at every level of governance.

[TheCable]