An Original Investigation of the Legal Dimensions of Platform Economy Regulation in Nigeria: Labour, Competition, and Consumer Protection Perspectives

Platform economy enterprises including ride-hailing services, digital marketplaces, and gig economy labour platforms have disrupted established regulatory categories in Nigerian law, creating profound questions about the classification of platform workers, market power of digital platforms, and consumer protection obligations in the absence of specific platform regulation. This study makes an original contribution to the legal theory of platform economy regulation in Nigeria by developing an original Integrated Platform Regulation Framework (IPRF) that addresses the three intersecting regulatory challenges raised by platform economics in the Nigerian context from labour, competition, and consumer protection perspectives. The IPRF is developed through systematic doctrinal analysis of the gaps in existing Nigerian business law as applied to platform economy enterprises, comparative analysis of platform economy regulation in Kenya, South Africa, and the European Union, and primary research comprising structured interviews with 25 platform operators, 20 platform workers, 15 consumer advocates, and 10 regulatory officials in Lagos, Abuja, and Kano. The IPRF introduces original conceptual tools including a Platform Worker Classification Spectrum that maps the continuum from employment to independent contracting for Nigerian platform work, a Platform Market Power Assessment Methodology for determining when platform dominance requires regulatory intervention, and a Platform Consumer Protection Standard calibrated for digital market asymmetries. The study constitutes an original theoretical contribution to Nigerian digital economy law scholarship and generates a model Platform Economy Regulation Act with provisions addressing all three regulatory dimensions, constituting a comprehensive legislative framework proposal.

Keywords: platform economy, gig workers, digital regulation, competition law, consumer protection