Why We Imposed $220 Million Fine on Meta – FG

The federal government says the investigation into the operations of tech giant Meta was to ensure that it operated within the ambit of the nation’s laws.

The national commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Vincent Olatunji, stated this in Abuja on Friday at the Training for DevsInGovernment. The initiative aims to equip workers from ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) with digital knowledge and skills.

The U.S.-based company is the operator of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads.

The government, through the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), recently imposed a $220 million fine on Meta for data breaches.

“We are not necessarily being punitive. However, any institution that fails to cooperate or comply with our laws will be sanctioned,” Mr Olatunji said while speaking on the theme “Innovating with Privacy: Building Trust in Government Digital Services.”

Mr Olatunji said the probe of Meta Platforms Inc. required a multi-agency approach to ensure a thorough and detailed investigation with appropriate mechanisms to resolve the issues.

“We are concerned about the ways and manners in which data of citizens are collected and managed in Nigeria and outside Nigeria.

“In so doing, we also consider the economic values for the citizens and the country, and we want the global best standards and practices to be entrenched here,” he said.

He said that, given the sensitive nature of data in governance and business, the federal government would do everything legally necessary to sanitise the area.

“The future of government is digital, but the success of digital governance will depend on one thing above all. Trust and privacy are the foundations of that trust.

“Deploying trusted digital services is not a task for government alone; it requires all of us across public and private sectors, civil societies, and citizens working together.

“Together we can build a citizen-centric, innovative digital nation that others will look to as a model of trust and progress,” he said.

(NAN)