The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Mark Zuckerberg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Meta Platforms Incorporated (Facebook), to immediately pay the $220 million fine imposed by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and recently upheld by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal.
In a letter dated 26 April 2025 and signed by Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP demanded that Zuckerberg and Meta not only pay the fine, but also provide justice and effective remedies—including adequate compensation and guarantees of non-repetition—for victims of the grave violations of Nigerian consumer, data protection, and privacy laws, as well as international human rights standards.
SERAP also called on Zuckerberg to immediately pay the $35,000 awarded by the Tribunal to the FCCPC as the cost of investigation, and to halt any ongoing violations, ensuring that they do not recur, and that those responsible are held accountable.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal had, last Friday, upheld the $220 million fine, confirming that Meta’s operations in Nigeria had breached human rights and had a chilling effect on the enjoyment of rights on its platforms.
“The Tribunal’s judgement confirms that the operations of Meta (Facebook) in Nigeria have violated Nigerians’ human rights and continued to have a chilling effect on the enjoyment of human rights on Meta platforms,” the letter reads.
SERAP stated that it is concerned about the ongoing risk of human rights violations and warned Zuckerberg against prolonging the harm by seeking an appeal, citing section 55 of the FCCP Act.
The letter continued: “The Tribunal’s judgment shows clear and compelling evidence that the operations of Meta in Nigeria are inconsistent with international human rights standards, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.”
SERAP further warned that if Meta fails to comply within seven days of the receipt or publication of the letter, it would take all appropriate legal actions at national, regional, or international levels to compel compliance.
According to SERAP: Section 152 of the FCCP Act guarantees civil action rights for victims.
Section 154 entitles victims to adequate compensation.
Section 54 confirms that Tribunal rulings are binding and enforceable via the Federal High Court.
The Tribunal’s judgment followed a 38-month joint investigation launched by the FCCPC and Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) into Meta’s and WhatsApp’s data practices, uncovering discriminatory and exploitative behaviour against Nigerian users.
SERAP’s Demands to Zuckerberg and Meta: Publicly commit to immediately obeying the Tribunal’s ruling and paying the $220 million fine.
Identify victims and provide justice, effective remedies, and adequate compensation.
Immediately pay the $35,000 cost of investigation awarded to the FCCPC.
Disclose human rights due diligence steps taken to mitigate the violations.
Explain how Meta is applying the UN Guiding Principles in its Nigerian operations.
Publish transparency reports highlighting compliance with human rights standards.
