The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) stays comparatively unknown to many Nigerians, regardless of its persevering with work as the first regulator charged with defending client rights and selling truthful competitors. Despite operational challenges, the Commission has pressed forward with its mandate of holding producers, sellers and repair suppliers accountable. Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi spoke with the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, concerning the Commission’s actions and the way it executes its mandate
Many Nigerians don’t know a lot concerning the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and its mandate. Kindly, enlighten the general public on what FCCPC does and your mandate as its CEO?
The Commission developed from the Consumers Protection Council (CPC), by advantage of the FCCP Act that was handed by the National Assembly in 2018. The outdated CPC was arrange by Act No. 66 of 1992 beneath the army, however commenced operations in 1999. The new Act expanded the mandate of the Commission by including the regulation of the Nigerian market, to make it a twin mandate. I used to be appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR in July 2024. As the CEO/EVC, my job is to supervise the everyday operations of the Commission.
FCCPC is usually described as each a contest authority and a consumer-protection company. In follow, which of these two mandates now consumes extra of the Commission’s time and assets, and why?
Obviously, the buyer safety mandate is extra taxing, within the sense that it’s truly a duty to champion the rights of customers of products and providers. Everyone is a client. In phrases of numbers, we’ve extra customers than companies. We function a web based portal via which customers can lodge complaints, and we step in to make sure that they get justice. We obtain a whole lot of complaints each day via our workplaces unfold throughout the nation, apart the portal. Some of the circumstances are simply resolved, by the use of mediation by us. But, in lots of cases, we find yourself in court docket by instituting circumstances in opposition to the recalcitrant ones. Of course, this prices us time and cash. Our surveillance and investigation division will get concerned by following leads, or intelligence acquired to bust unwholesome actions.
We have an Anti-Competitive Practices division, which handles circumstances involving infraction of finest practices in business undertakings. We even have a authorized division comprising Lawyers, who deal with the circumstances in court docket. But, in lots of cases, notably in areas involving technicality, we’ve to rent exterior Lawyers to prosecute some circumstances. All of this price us cash.
How have you ever coped delivering on each mandates?
Well, like I simply enumerated, the 2 mandates are fairly difficult. But, we’re giving each our greatest shot. At the Commission, we’re fortunate to have a crop of personnel which are very devoted, and likewise nicely motivated. Within the restrict of assets out there to us, we be sure that they’re uncovered to fixed coaching, each domestically and internationally. So that they’re geared up with data that’s often very technical in nature, in addition to get conversant with tendencies of their respective fields.
Two years into your tenure, what’s the single most vital institutional change on the FCCPC {that a} client in Lagos, Kano or Port Harcourt would truly really feel?
I imagine we’ve been in a position to put the difficulty of client rights, on the entrance burner. Just final 12 months, we acquired a few recognitions from some revered media organisations. In one specific quotation learn on the Award Night, one in every of them said that the honour was in recognition of the eagerness we’ve infused into client advocacy, such that violators are being made to face stiff sanctions increasingly more for the primary time in our historical past. With all modesty, I imagine we’ve given hope to the bizarre Nigerian, that there might be penalties for violators of their rights as soon as a stable case is established, for free of charge to the petitioner.
Many Stakeholders and sister organisations have, over the previous few years, raised a needful alarm that probably as much as 65% of consumable merchandise and medicine within the nation are both pretend, adulterated or substandard. Despite the truth that some international locations are infamous for manufacturing and exporting pretend and substandard merchandise to Nigeria, even in collusion with unscrupulous Nigerian businessmen, there doesn’t seem like a concerted effort and can to arrest this development, and lives are being wasted on a regular basis on account of this. What is your Commission doing about this?
I have no idea the way you arrived at your determine of 65%, however it’s not a determine that the Commission can independently authenticate or confirm with out factual proof. The prevalence of substandard and counterfeited merchandise varies significantly by product, location, sampling methodology and the actual research concerned.
That mentioned, I nonetheless, is not going to deny that we would not have the problem of pretend merchandise. The drawback is actual, and the Commission takes it very severely. Through market surveillance, inspections, sampling, laboratory testing, investigation and enforcement, we work to establish unsafe, counterfeit, adulterated, deceptive or in any other case non-compliant merchandise, and take away them from the market.
The Commission additionally works with sector-specific regulators, notably NAFDAC and SON, as a result of product security and requirements are a shared regulatory duty. Our interventions in opposition to deceptive labelling, re-bagging of merchandise and different unsafe practices, exhibit our dedication to battle this menace.
How does your Council collaborate with sister companies, like NAFDAC, Manufacturers of Nigeria (MAN) and different stakeholders on this battle in opposition to pretend, substandard merchandise?
The FCCPC doesn’t work in isolation. With NAFDAC, for instance, we collaborate on market surveillance, investigation, seizure and removing of dangerous or substandard meals, medication and different regulated merchandise. The two companies additionally renewed their client safety MoU in May 2026, to strengthen coordination.
With requirements and business stakeholders, together with SON and producers, the strategy contains info sharing, compliance engagement, requirements consciousness and joint investigation the place there are indications of violations.
The goal is straightforward: forestall unsafe merchandise from reaching customers within the first place and, the place they do, establish and take away them as shortly as potential.
The Commission repeatedly says it’s “not a price-control board”. How do you draw the road, in regulation and in follow, between investigating anti-competitive pricing and being accused of attempting to repair costs in a deregulated market?
The distinction is prime. The Commission doesn’t inform a enterprise what worth to cost, just because the worth is excessive.
Businesses in a deregulated market, are typically free to find out their costs independently. What the Commission investigates, is whether or not the worth or the method by which it was arrived at is the results of conduct prohibited by regulation, akin to price-fixing, preferential discriminating or exploitative pricing, collusion, abuse of dominance, restrictive agreements, deceptive pricing or different anti-competitive conduct.
Why did Uber exit from Nigeria? Uber’s exit triggered an inquiry into unfulfilled providers.
Uber has not publicly said that there was one particular regulatory, or market-related cause for its resolution. The firm mentioned it had performed a evaluate of its operations, and determined to wind down its Nigerian and Ugandan operations efficient September 2, 2026.
The Commission just isn’t speculating, concerning the cause for the exit. Our quick concern is what the exit means for customers and different affected events, notably whether or not any providers or obligations remained unfulfilled when operations ceased. Of course, if any is established, they are going to be made to reply.
Beyond that one firm, what’s the Commission’s doctrine on platform exits: deposits, unused credit, driver and rider claims, and knowledge left behind?
An organization is entitled to make official enterprise selections, together with leaving a market. But, when a enterprise does exit, it doesn’t routinely extinguish obligations already owed to customers.
Where customers have paid for providers that weren’t delivered, the query of refunds or different acceptable redress arises. Outstanding credit, deposits and different client claims should due to this fact, be correctly addressed.
Kindly, take us via your Commission’s process of treating complaints from customers. Ordinary Complainants nonetheless say the method is gradual, online-first, and arduous to make use of in case you are not literate or don’t reside in a State capital.
The course of begins, ordinarily, with the buyer first giving the enterprise a possibility to resolve the grievance. Where that fails, the buyer can strategy the Commission with the small print of the transaction, the enterprise concerned, supporting paperwork and the redress being sought.
The Commission now operates a digital complaint-resolution platform which permits complaints to be acquired, assigned, investigated, tracked and resolved electronically. But, we recognise that not each Nigerian is digitally literate, or has dependable web entry. This is why complaints can be submitted, bodily, at our Zonal and State workplaces. We even have phone channels, via which customers can search help.
What is the Commission doing to make redress reachable for a dealer in an semi-urban market, or a pensioner on a function cellphone?
Consumer safety can’t be designed, just for folks with smartphones and dependable web entry.
Recently, we established three new workplaces, in Kaduna, Oyo and Plateau States. We did this with the first intention of bringing the Commission’s presence nearer to customers, particularly on the grassroots.
As I discussed earlier, customers are allowed to stroll into any of our workplaces to bodily register their complaints, and they are going to be promptly attended to.
The course of our focus, is in the direction of a extra accessible, multi-channel grievance system, on-line, bodily and assisted, moderately than an online-only system.
Unsafe or underspecified constructing supplies have been linked to structural failures. Is the FCCPC ready to deal with a systematically undersized rod or adulterated cement as a client safety offence with private legal responsibility for administrators, or will that stay solely a SON/requirements matter?
SON has the specialised mandate for requirements, whereas we, on the Commission, have a broader client safety mandate. Where a product offered to customers is unsafe, faulty, falsely represented or in any other case violates client rights, the FCCPA might apply along with the related requirements laws.
The FCCPA expressly locations obligations on companies to make sure that merchandise are secure for his or her supposed use, and prohibits the sale or distribution of merchandise that don’t adjust to relevant security or well being necessities.
The current MoU with NMDPRA is supposed to sort out cartel behaviour, price-fixing, under-dispensing and adulteration in a deregulated downstream market. What can the FCCPC do this NMDPRA, as technical and pricing regulator, can’t?
The two establishments have completely different, however complementary mandates.
NMDPRA has the specialised regulatory duty, for the petroleum business. The FCCPC brings the competitors and client safety perspective.
For instance, the place there may be proof of cartel behaviour, price-fixing, abuse of dominance, market allocation, restrictive agreements, deceptive pricing, under-dispensing or different conduct that undermines competitors or client rights, the Commission has a statutory function to research and take acceptable motion.
The not too long ago signed MoU with NMDPRA additional strengthens this work via joint surveillance, info sharing and coordinated enforcement.
And, what’s going to success appear like six months from now?
Success must be measured by outcomes, not just by the variety of conferences or press releases.
We count on to see stronger market intelligence and data sharing; quicker identification of anti-competitive conduct, simpler motion in opposition to under-dispensing and product-quality violations, higher grievance and reporting mechanisms, improved compliance by operators, and clearer proof that buyers are receiving the advantages of a extra clear and aggressive petroleum market.
The Commission investigated alleged airline ticket price-fixing across the 2025 Yuletide. What is the standing of that file, and can the general public see a reasoned resolution with findings of reality, or solely a press assertion?
The Commission has launched an interim report, following its evaluate of home airline fares in the course of the 2025 Yuletide interval.
The interim findings recognized patterns requiring additional examination. The Commission said that it might conduct additional structural and route-level evaluation, earlier than figuring out the following acceptable steps. Therefore, the matter shouldn’t be introduced as a concluded discovering, till the investigation is accomplished.
Where the Commission reaches a closing dedication, it would talk identical, to the general public, on the idea of established details and relevant regulation. But, suffice to say that, our intervention has despatched a robust message to airline operators that worth gouging or fixing will now not be tolerated.
Even in the present day, Nigerians are complaining that flight tickets are too costly. Have you appeared into this? What could be accomplished about this seeing as air journey could also be the most effective different, given the poor situation of a few of our highway journey routes and insecurity?
The Commission is conscious of issues, concerning the price of air journey. However, it is very important distinguish the Commission’s function, from the broader regulation of the aviation sector. The Commission’s concern is principally whether or not pricing practices contain conduct which will breach competitors or client safety legal guidelines, akin to price-fixing, collusion or different anti-competitive practices. The Commission doesn’t regulate, or decide airline fares.
Airfare ranges are influenced by a spread of sector-specific elements, together with operational price, aviation costs, overseas change, gas, plane availability and capability amongst others. These are issues that fall considerably throughout the broader regulatory framework for civil aviation and are due to this fact, higher addressed by the sector regulator, NCAA.
The Commission will, nonetheless, proceed to intervene the place there may be proof of conduct that raises competitors or client safety issues, whereas working with the related aviation authorities to make sure that the pursuits of air travellers are adequately protected.
The challenge of the worth of gas too, FCCPC seems to have been quiet, regardless of the folks’s cry that gas costs are prohibitive
The Commission has not been silent on this challenge. In June 2026, following surveillance of the downstream petroleum market, the Commission raised issues that reductions in crude costs weren’t being adequately mirrored in some downstream costs, and said that it might act in opposition to profiteering the place the proof supported intervention.
The key level, once more, stays that the Commission doesn’t regulate or approve pump costs within the deregulated market. NMDPRA stays the sector regulator. Our duty is to find out whether or not market members should not participating in conduct that’s anti-competitive, misleading, exploitative in any other case prohibited by regulation.
What inside safeguards exist so {that a} penalty is proportionate, cheap, and appealable, moderately than a software of regulatory shock? Administrative penalties should not supposed to be regulatory surprises
The FCCPA supplies punishment for particular offences. The Commission has additionally developed Administrative Penalties Regulations pursuant to the FCCPA, that gives a framework for figuring out penalties. The methodology considers elements together with the character and sort of violation, the bottom quantity, period of the violation and different aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
There are additionally procedural safeguards, together with the chance for affected events to reply throughout regulatory proceedings. Importantly, selections of the Commission could be challenged via the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal, in accordance with the regulation. So, that provides anybody accused an opportunity to problem our resolution, in keeping with the pure tenets of justice.
Several States now have, or are creating, competitors and client safety companies. What is the correct division of labour between the FCCPC and a State company, and the way will double jeopardy or forum-shopping be averted?
Section 104 of the FCCPA 2018 is obvious that, however the provisions of some other regulation and topic to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the provisions of the FCCPA shall prevail in issues regarding competitors and client safety. Consequently, the Commission takes the lead in issues throughout the scope of competitors and client safety as supplied beneath the Act.
State companies can perform client safety actions in collaboration with us, however are topic to the supervision of the Commission. However, it is very important observe right here that, the FCCPC has an unique competitors regulatory mandate.
Collaboration on the State degree, is vital. As a matter of reality, some authorities on the subnational degree have reached out to us to work collectively. For occasion, the Lagos State Consumers Protection Agency, signed an MOU with us not too long ago. That is to let you know the form of cooperation that’s rising.
By working intently with State companies and different related stakeholders, we are able to be sure that regulatory efforts are coordinated and, most significantly, that buyers are protected wherever they reside or do enterprise.
Does the Commission have a system of defending whistle-blowers?
Yes. The FCCPC Investigative Corporation and Assistance Rules and Procedures 2021, and the FCCPC Corporate Leniency Rules of the FCCPA 2018, present mechanisms via which people can present info, together with anonymously, in some peculiar acceptable circumstances.
The Commission notably encourages folks with credible details about anti-competitive conduct and client rights abuses, to come back ahead. Such info could be extraordinarily useful in detecting conduct and practices, that will in any other case be troublesome to uncover.
To what extent has your coaching as a Lawyer and Journalist helped in your work?
The two disciplines complement one another remarkably nicely.
Legal coaching supplies an understanding of statutes, proof, due course of, rights and regulatory obligations. Journalism, alternatively, teaches you to ask questions, confirm info, simplify complicated points and talk with completely different audiences.
At the FCCPC, communication is especially vital, as a result of competitors and client safety points could be extremely technical. My duty just isn’t solely to know what the Commission is doing, but additionally to elucidate it clearly to customers, companies, policymakers and the media.
Ultimately, each professions demand the identical primary self-discipline: set up the details, perceive the problems and talk them clearly and responsibly.
Thank you, Mr Bello.
