5 Types of People Who Will Be Affected if Meta Closes Down Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp in Nigeria

• d businesses alike
• Also, content creators, businesses, corporate organisations, online vendors, media houses and even the government use it to reach their audience
• Recently, social media giant Meta threatened to shut down Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in Nigeria owing to a dispute with the government

In July 2024, the Nigerian government, through its regulatory agencies, fined Meta a total of $290 million (N466 billion).

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) slapped a $220m fine on Meta over alleged anti-competitive practices.

Also, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) asked Meta to pay a fine of $37.5 million (N60 billion) over alleged unapproved advertising.

Another regulatory body, the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), also slapped Meta with a $32.8 million (N52 billion) fine over alleged violations of data privacy laws.

However, Meta denied wrongdoing and challenged the fines in court, but was unsuccessful.

According to BBC reporting, which cited court papers, Meta said it may be forced to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria as the fines imposed on it are unrealistic.

The BBC quoted the court papers:

"The applicant may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures."

Legit.ng has compiled a list of those that will be affected the most if Facebook and Instagram are shut down in Nigeria.

1. Meta

If Meta decides to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria, the social media giant will equally suffer.

Nigeria is home to 51.2 million Facebook users, according to Statista, which says the data is from December 2024.

It says:

"As of December 2024, there were over 51.2 million Facebook users in Nigeria, accounting for 21.9 per cent of the population in the country."

Also, according to Datareportal, Instagram had 9.90 million users in Nigeria in early 2025.

Meta will lose advertising revenue accruing from organisations which leverage it to reach their audiences in Nigeria.

2. Small businesses and corporate bodies

Another set of people who will be negatively affected if Meta shuts down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria are small businesses and corporate bodies.

A lot of businesses are conducted online via social media. Vendors leverage Facebook and Instagram to reach their target customers.

Banks and other people in the service industry rely partly on Facebook and Instagram to be visible online.

If Meta shuts down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria, these businesses will be on the receiving end.

3. Media organisations

Media organisations in Nigeria rely heavily on Facebook and Instagram to drive traffic to their websites.

All serious media organisations in Nigeria have a presence on Facebook and Instagram.

They have millions of followers who might not even remember their websites but know them through their Facebook or Instagram accounts.

If Facebook is shut down, a significant number of the audience will be cut off.

4. Content creators

Another booming sector in Nigeria is the creator economy. Many people have become content creators, and they earn their living through Facebook and Instagram.

Nigerian creators were granted the opportunity to monetise their content beginning from 2024.

Should Meta close down their platforms in Nigeria, many creators will lose.

5. The government

The government might also suffer some losses in tax revenue if Meta shuts down Facebook and Instagram.

Apart from the tax revenue that will no longer come, the government itself also uses Meta platforms to communicate with the citizens.

Government bodies and agencies also rely on Facebook and Instagram to some extent. If Meta closes the affected platforms, the communication opportunities they offer might be lost.

Nigeria is not the first country to fine Meta, as there are other regulatory bodies around the world that slapped the social media giant with hefty fines.

In April 2025, it was reported that the European Union slammed Meta with a fine of €200m (N365 billion) over how much choice users had to consent to data collection.

Meta cracks down on fake accounts, pages

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Meta has rolled out more measures that would see genuine content creators get more recognition for their work.

In an email message sent to Legit.ng, Meta stated that it would help hardworking creators protect their original content.

The giant tech company says it is implementing the broader measures to improve the feed experience and support creators.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng