Scorecard: Consumers rate FCCPC high

Some consumers in the Federal Capital Territory have lauded the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for its achievements in protecting the interests of consumers in the country.

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They spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday, while urging other regulatory agencies to emulate the commission in order to enhance service delivery to Nigerians.

The consumers were reacting to the achievements of President Bola Tinubu in the consumer protection space in remembrance of Mr Tinubu’s two years in office.

The Executive Director of Save the Consumers, Aliyu Ilias, said that FCCPC had tamed the activities of loan sharks.

Mr Ilias said that the commission had also curbed issues around price gouging and unreasonable price fixing among traders.

He commended the commission’s efforts in the cable television DSTV saga, saying that they acted in the interest of consumers.

“You have seen the challenge of loan sharks and FCCPC has been able to tame it.

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“I can tell you that some people do that in hiding now and they have also been able to caution overpricing.

“We have also seen their efforts on the DSTV issue,” he said.

Mr Ilias said that the commission had also been responsive in addressing consumers’ online and offline complaints.

He urged consumers to always provide the commission with the needed information to achieve their mandates.

“We should learn how to say something when we see something, when we see something; we should be able to escalate it,” he said.

Catherine Omale, a civil rights activist, said that the FCCPC needed to expand the scope of its coverage to the 36 states of the country.

Mr Omale, who commended the efforts of the commission, said that their impact needed to be felt in the states and local government areas.

“I have seen and read about the achievements of FCCPC, especially during Mr Tunde Irukera’s tenure.

“The commission has proved that the common man can still trust the government by their works,” she said.

For his part, Raphael Ogodo, a civil servant, appealed to the commission to collaborate with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to address forceful fruit ripening and other sharp practices.

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“It is no longer news that some traders ripen fruits and foods with chemicals like carbide and the rest, we need FCCPC to join hands with NAFDAC to fight this because NAFDAC alone cannot do this.

“This is the main reason why people are developing different terminal diseases, even children,” he said.

Chineze Akachukwu, a student at the University of Abuja, commended the commission in its regulatory efforts against Meta over data protection issues.

On the complaints about banks’ sharp practices, Ms Akachukwu appealed to the commission to respond swiftly to consumers whose hard-earned monies were held in distressed banks.

NAN recalls that the executive vice chairman of the commission, Tunji Bello, had reinstated the commitment of the FCCPC toward championing the rights of Nigerian consumers as well as ensuring fair business practices.

(NAN)