FG wants states to establish consumer protection councils

Federal government want states to establish their own consumer protection agencies to widen the scope of protection against consumer abuses across the country.

The Director-General, Consumer Protection Council, Mr Babatunde Irukera said this when the Board of the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) paid him a visit in Abuja.

Irukera commended Lagos State Government for establishing a Consumer Protection Agency to ensure speedy redress of consumer complaints through negotiation, mediation or reconciliation.

He expressed his joy, that the Lagos State Government had chosen an activist and a human right lawyer, in the person of Mrs Funmi Falana to chair the agency.

“I want to commend Lagos state for priotising consumer protection by legislating and creating their own agency. Protecting consumers in all 36 states and local governments in Nigeria is quite a job,” he said.

He added that setting up the Council was apt considering that Lagos has a population of approximately 20 million people, with more than half the businesses in Nigeria domiciled.

Irukera urged other states to learn from Lagos and establish their own consumer protection agencies to ensure standards and safeguard the interest of consumers in Nigeria.