LASCOPA, FCCPC FORGE ALLIANCE FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION IN LAGOS

… Plans Joint Enforcement for Consumer Rights 

Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) have joined forces to enhance consumer rights protection in Lagos through joint enforcement of both arms of government. This was revealed during a recent visit by LASCOPA’s General Manager to FCCPC headquarters in Abuja.

Dr. Adamu Abdullahi, the Acting Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of FCCPC, while welcoming the General Manager of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo to his office, said the two agencies will soon embark on joint inspection of supermarkets, grocery stores and other trading outlets to ensure conformity with the consumer rights law.

He highlighted the necessity of collaboration to effectively safeguard the interests of Nigeria’s over 200 million consumers, particularly in the face of emerging challenges such as price gouging and other misleading practices being perpetrated on consumers.

He noted that Lagos, being the country’s bustling economic hub with a lot of industry and service providers, must feel the impact and presence of the Commission. 

“We have therefore agreed and planned that in the coming week, we will be coming to Lagos to have a joint enforcement, especially on issues of falsehood, misconception, and misleading practices in the formal and informal sectors of the economy”, Abdullahi stated. 

In his remarks, the General Manager of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo, reiterated the commitment of both agencies of government to enforce consumer protection laws to the latter.

Emphasising the importance of synergy between state and federal agencies, Solebo outlined key areas of focus, including price transparency, hospitality standards, and resolving consumer grievances in sectors like Aviation. 

The planned joint enforcement operations in Lagos, according to Solebo, is a proactive approach to tackling issues like non-display of product prices and ensuring fair refund policies amongst other consumer rights-related issues.

He noted that LASCOPA has been at the forefront of securing compensations for aggrieved consumers through the cooperation of the judiciary, saying that the successes recorded by the agency underscore the effectiveness of collaborative efforts in upholding consumer rights. 

Solebo added that with the coming together of FCCPC and LASCOPA to synergize their operations, consumers in Lagos can expect enhanced protection and redress for any infractions encountered in the marketplace.