FCCPC reports higher consumer complaints on unfair servicess

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has said it is receiving an uptick of consumer complaints of unfair practices from organisations.

The Executive Vice-Chairman of FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera, during a one-day engagement with consumer protection groups yesterday in Abuja said this is as a result of heightened efforts to enlighten consumers on their rights.

Irukera said that with the consumers exploited by firms through unfair practices, especially on digital platforms, the commission wants to collaborate with civil society groups to engage in grassroots sensitisation on ways consumers can seek redress when they are cheated on.

“Before the 2018 FCCPC Act was amended, we barely received 50 complaints from Nigerians but today, the commission records more than 100 complaints. So, it means Nigerian consumers know more about their rights to challenge perceived unfair practices by service providers. But we need to do more to ensure that consumers’ rights are protected at times to ensure they receive the services they paid for and are not short-changed.”

Represented by the Director, Corporate Affairs, Aliyu Muhammad, Irukera said the commission has put in different mechanisms to see consumers’ complaints are solved timely.

The Director of Legal Services, Tam Tamunokonbia, stated that the new act was promulgated for a sole agency that would serve as a platform where wrongs done to consumers can be rectified.