Nigerians react to Meta threat, seek establishment of indigenous social media platforms

Some social media users across the country have advocated for the establishment of an indigenous social networking platforms following Meta’s threat to exit Nigeria. Meta is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The users made the call in separate interviews with journalists in Abuja on Sunday. They said establishing an indigenous social media platform would ensure easy regulation and implementation of data protection policies in the country. Moses Atuegwu, a WhatsApp user, said the exit threat by Meta was uncalled for, given the huge number of users and patronage they had received in Nigeria.  Mr Atuegwu said it was worrisome, as citizens were at the mercy of foreign-dominated social media platforms; hence, there was a need for homegrown ones.
”We cannot continue to be controlled by these foreign platforms. We should have an alternative which is indigenous based,” he said.  Pearl Adekunle, another user of WhatsApp and Instagram, said setting up home-grown social media platforms would help the country to scrutinise the content consumed by users. Ms Adekunle said the establishment of home-grown platforms would help promote indigenous technology and the country’s economy. ”China and Russia have their own indigenous social media platforms, and this enhances the data protection policy of their government. Nothing stops Nigeria from adopting the same to promote and advance indigenous technologies,” she said.
Esther Indiana-Obong, a Facebook subscriber, said establishing an indigenous social media platform would help encourage competition and promote innovation in the country’s information technology (IT) sector.
Ms Indiana-Obong said it would also help to reduce dependence on foreign social media brands. Aminu Zakari, also a social media user, said the home-grown platform would help the government to effectively regulate what goes out on the social media. Meta had warned that it may shut down operations in Nigeria following the tribunal ruling that upheld a $220 million fine imposed on them in July 2024. Meta said that it may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures. Responding to the threat, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) had said the threat would not exonerate the company from the fines. NAN