O’tega Ogra, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Communications, has faced backlash from marketing expert Ewa Izuchukwu for publicly supporting a Federal High Court decision involving Facebook Nigeria and the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). This court ruling recently invalidated a ₦60 billion fine ARCON had attempted to impose on the social media giant.
Ogra maintains that the verdict upholds the rule of law, asserting that ARCON failed to provide sufficient evidence regarding the corporate link between Facebook Nigeria and its parent company, Meta. However, Izuchukwu argues that a presidential aide’s public support for Meta suggests that the Presidency might be favoring a multinational corporation over a national regulatory body. He further questioned whether Ogra’s commentary is influenced by his affiliations with the Association of Advertisers in Nigeria (ADVAN) and the World Federation of Advertisers.
Izuchukwu pointed out that the evidentiary hurdles established by the court could complicate future efforts by consumers and regulators to hold global tech firms accountable. He challenged Ogra’s assertion that consumer protection is solely the responsibility of the FCCPC, noting that many Nigerian agencies like the CBN, SEC, and NCC hold similar regulatory mandates. To support his argument, Izuchukwu cited several domestic and international legal precedents where Meta has been held liable for its platform activities, regardless of complex corporate structures.
Ultimately, the commentator cautioned that high-ranking government officials should remain impartial in ongoing legal disputes to avoid signaling official bias. Neither the involved parties nor the government agencies have issued a collaborative statement addressing this public disagreement.
