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TOBI SONIYI

Dear Counsel, It was in the news last week that the Lagos State Government has introduced a new law to protect Consumers’ rights.

However, I received this with mixed feelings. I really don’t know what the law is all about. Can you help shed more light on this? Also, I know for certain that there is already a law at the Federal level, which empowers the Consumer Rights Protection Council of Nigeria to handle all Consumer Rights related issues.

What is the Lagos State Law about please?

F.E., Festac, Lagos. Dear F.E., It is true that there is a Consumer Protection Law, that empowers the Consumer Protection Council of Nigeria to carry out its statutory duties.

But the new law by Lagos State is actually a repeal of an already existing law, the Lagos State Consumer Protection Committee Law, Cap. L15,LLS 2003 and

does not affect any right that a Consumer may have under any other law (Federal).

"Section 14 of the new law, provides that if a complaint is filed by one or more Consumers, Consumer Associations, State or Local Government Agency and under section 16, provides that after due investigation, including laboratory tests which gives both sides an opportunity to be heard, the agency may direct the person responsible for the harmful product to remove the defect, replace the product, return the price paid, pay damages and withdraw the product from circulation".

Conviction under the law ‘shall be liable on first conviction to a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for three months, while subsequent conviction attracts a fine of N750,000 or six months imprisonment’.

This new law is quite needful in Lagos at this point, due to the high level of defective and substandard products that flood the markets every day.