The Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, is set to hear a significant N30 billion lawsuit filed by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) against Meta Platforms Incorporated, the parent company of popular social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, as well as its agent AT3 Resources Limited.
In an exclusive interview with The Findwhosabi, Olalekan Fadolapo, the Director-General of ARCON, revealed that the court proceedings are scheduled for October. The lawsuit centers on several key issues, including ARCON’s demand for a declaration that the publication and exposure of various advertisements targeted at the Nigerian market through Meta Platforms’ social media channels without prior vetting and approval is illegal and violates Nigeria’s existing advertising laws.
ARCON contends that Meta Platforms Incorporated’s continuous dissemination of unvetted advertisements has resulted in significant revenue losses for the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Fadolapo disclosed that the Federal High Court in Abuja has already granted ARCON permission to serve a writ of summons to Meta Platforms Incorporated. The writ was duly served at the company’s corporate headquarters in the United States.
This decision to serve the legal documents at Meta’s corporate headquarters abroad became necessary after the company claimed it had no physical office presence in Nigeria.
Fadolapo stated, “The case is coming up this October because the level of shenanigans that is happening in that place (Facebook) is too much. But trust me, we will use all legal means to sanitize that space.”
He further emphasized ARCON’s concerns about the content being presented to the Nigerian audience, asserting, “What they are showing to the Nigerian audience, which is our territorial space, is indecent. We will not go and regulate the media in the US, but what we will do is regulate the media space here in Nigeria.”
Addressing the issue of Meta Platforms’ absence of a physical office in Nigeria, Fadolapo clarified, “They said they don’t have an office in Nigeria, but they are doing business in Nigeria. So, we are not concerned about their office; we are concerned about the business they are doing in Nigeria. If you are doing business in Nigeria, you are supposed to abide by Nigerian laws.”
The upcoming court proceedings are expected to shed light on the evolving legal landscape concerning social media platforms and their compliance with local regulations in Nigeria.