The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria has filed a N30bn lawsuit against Meta Platforms Incorporated, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and its agent AT3 Resources Limited. 

The case is set to be heard by the Federal High Court in Abuja in October.

ARCON’s Director-General, Olalekan Fadolapo, confirmed this in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH. 

ARCON is seeking a declaration that Meta’s continued publication and exposure of various advertisements directed at the Nigerian market through Facebook and Instagram platforms, without vetting and approval, is illegal and a violation of Nigeria’s advertising laws.

ARCON argues that Meta’s continued exposure of unvetted adverts has resulted in a loss of revenue for the Federal Government. Fadolapo confirmed that ARCON has been granted leave by the Federal High Court in Abuja to serve a writ of summons to Meta at its U.S. corporate headquarters.

Fadolapo stated that ARCON is not concerned about Meta’s physical presence in Nigeria but is focused on its business in the country. He emphasized that any business operating in Nigeria must abide by Nigerian laws.

“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 sanitise that space.

“What we are saying is that 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.

“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,” he said