President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pledged the support of the Federal Government for the Nigerian media’s campaign for fair revenue from global technology companies, assuring industry stakeholders of steps to address anti-competitive practices and economic challenges threatening the survival of local media organisations.
Speaking at an interfaith dinner with a delegation of the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) at the State House on Friday, the President described the media as an “indispensable partner” in the country’s quest for economic stability, press freedom and social cohesion.
Tinubu said his administration was committed to dismantling fiscal barriers and addressing what he termed “digital cannibalisation” by Big Tech companies, which media stakeholders say has eroded revenues and undermined the sustainability of journalism.
He disclosed that the Federal Government was reviewing the tariff exemption list to consider including critical media production materials such as newsprint, printing plates, chemicals, and radio and television broadcast equipment, which currently attract import duties of between five and 10 per cent.
If approved, the items would enjoy a tariff status similar to that granted educational and research materials.
“You have the government’s full support, because we know how important your work is to the sustenance of democracy,” the President said.
The NPO delegation was led by its President and Publisher of The Guardian, Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru, and included prominent industry leaders such as Aremo Olusegun Osoba, publisher of Vanguard; Mr Sam Amuka, Chairman of THISDAY/ARISE News Channel; Prince Nduka Obaigbena; Chairman of Channels Television, Dr John Momoh; Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Alhaji Saliu Abdulhamid Dembos; former NPAN President and veteran journalist, Mr Ray Ekpu; President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mr Eze Anaba; President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Mr Danlami Nmodu; and President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Alhassan Yahya Abdullahi.
Also in attendance were Vice President Kashim Shettima, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, executive members of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), managing directors of media organisations, senior editors, and representatives of civil society groups.
Earlier, NPAN Deputy President and Publisher of BusinessDay, Mr Frank Aigbogun, who spoke on behalf of the NPO, accused some global technology companies of exploiting media content without adequate compensation.
He alleged that some firms were “scraping” proprietary content, including materials behind paywalls, to train artificial intelligence models, thereby undermining the commercial viability of local media organisations.
Aigbogun urged the President to mandate the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to collaborate with the media industry in investigating claims that anti-competitive practices by Big Tech firms were depriving Nigerian media of up to 70 per cent of its legitimate revenue, estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
He warned that the situation had resulted in job losses and reduced opportunities within the sector.
In his remarks, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the Federal Government had already initiated engagement with major technology firms, including Meta and Google.
“The government will not allow anybody to come here, reap from our economy, and go away without giving back,” the minister said.
The NPO had earlier, in January, written to the Federal Government and issued a public statement highlighting what it described as the existential threat posed by the operations of global technology companies to Nigeria’s media industry.
The latest development signals a possible policy shift aimed at protecting local media businesses while ensuring fair competition in the evolving digital information ecosystem.
