The development has raised concerns over the country’s approach to data protection enforcement and regulatory transparency.
This followed a confidential, out-of-court settlement singed by Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) with Meta, effectively waiving the fine imposed earlier that year.
This deal, sanctioned by a Federal High Court, resolved disputes over behavioural advertising and user data transfers without Meta paying the penalty.
Recall that the NDPC claimed that it launched investigation in September 2023 that examined Meta’s handling of personal data from more than 60 million Nigerian users.
The NDPC had accused Meta of several breaches, including the absence of explicit consent for behavioural advertising, unauthorised cross-border data transfers, the collection of data from non-users, and the deployment of algorithms that could expose users to financial and health risks.
At the time, the regulator described the penalty as part of efforts to strengthen digital rights protections in Africa’s most populous country, aligning Nigeria with global enforcement trends in the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union, where Meta and other major technology firms have faced multibillion-dollar fines for similar violations.
However, documents from a subsequent settlement indicate that Nigeria reversed its position in October 2025.
Under the agreement, Meta was absolved of the $32.8 million penalty and required only to cover legal fees incurred by the government during court proceedings challenging the NDPC’s final orders.
The settlement was signed on 30 October 2025 and later validated by the Federal High Court in Abuja on 3 November 2025.
Despite this judicial confirmation, the terms of the agreement were not made public at the time, and only recently emerged through disclosed documentation.
The development has triggered questions about transparency in regulatory enforcement, particularly given the scale of the initial allegations and the number of affected users.
Iliya-Ezekiel Ndatse, data protection lawyer, said the outcome weakens regulatory deterrence.
“Removing penalties after such findings reduces the effectiveness of enforcement actions and weakens the credibility of compliance obligations,” he noted.
The case has also drawn comparisons with Nigeria’s previous dispute involving Twitter, now rebranded as X, which was banned in 2021 before the two parties reached a negotiated resolution.
