Who is a Consumer?
A consumer is a person who purchases goods and services for personal use. Can also be described as the end-user of any good or service. Such good or service is called consumer product.
Need for Consumer Protection Agencies
- Enforcement of the various consumers protection laws and legislations, which are for the protection of consumers from hazards to their health and safety, promotion and protection of the economic interests of consumers.
- To ensure consumers' access to adequate information to enable them make informed choices
- To carry out Consumers’ education and sensitization, including education on the environment, social and economic impacts of consumer choice.
- To formulate policies on standard and best practices from them to time
- For effective consumer dispute resolution and redress.
List of Consumer Protection Agencies in Nigeria
- Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC)
- Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)
- National Films and Video Censors Board (NFVCB)
- National Communications Commission (NCC)
- Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON)
- National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
- Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)
- Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
- National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
- National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
- National Environment Standard and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA)
- National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC)
Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC)
Established by the Competition and Consumer Protection Act, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has the primary responsibility of protecting consumers in Nigeria. The agency achieves this by application of strategies which include, complaint resolution through direct engagement, investigations, mediations, and official hearings when a compelling infraction is committed. FCCPC also carry out random and targeted surveillance and enforcement of actions. It’s saddled with the responsibility of nationwide quality assessment of goods and processes to ensure that integrity is upheld by manufacturers and service providers, conduct consumer education, sample opinion of consumers on quality of goods and services, with the aim of developing intervention techniques and improvement of existing instruments.
National Film and Video Censors Board
The National Film and Video Censors Board is the regulatory body set up by Act No.85 of 1993 to regulate films and video industry in Nigeria.
It ensures that motion pictures produced do not promote and expose viewers to immorality, criminality, terrorism, ethnic profiling etc. It also ensures that quality of films and video produced or marketed in Nigeria meet minimum international standards.
It also protects the patent right of content creators by not approving any work that pirates and/ or violets the copyrights of the other video content creators.
Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON)
SON is charged with responsibility for the formulation of standards on the composition of imported and locally manufactured consumer and industrial products in Nigeria. The organization has established thousands of standards on consumer and industrial products as well as good number of codes of hygienic practices for food and food products. These standards and codes are reviewed periodically to meet current trends in technological and industrial developments.
SON conducts chemical laboratory testing, inorganic testing, texture testing etc, product certification for locally manufactured goods (known as SON Cert), and imported goods (known as SON Cap). It ensures that product’s description conforms with its quality so that consumers will not be shortchanged.
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
NAFDAC is the parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Health saddled with the responsibility for regulation and control of imported and locally produced foods, drugs and bottled water in Nigeria.
Established in January 1993 by Decree No. 15 of 1993 as amended, NAFDAC ensures that all food, drugs and other pharmaceutical products consumed in Nigeria, whether imported or exported are wholesome, nutritious, free from contaminations, and accessible to the consumers at affordable prices.
It issues regulatory guidelines on minimum quality standard, oversees certification, registration of food, drugs and medical devices and related products to prevent manufacturing, sell and distribution of fake and substandard food and medical products from being in circulation in the country, which is geared towards protecting the consuming population.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
Central Bank of Nigeria is federal government-owned bank which helps to control and supervise the entire monetary and financial system of the country.
Central Bank of Nigeria, amongst its other functions, monitors the liquidity of deposit money banks to hedge against their collapse. Central banks usually set a minimum capital base for the commercial banks and other financial institutions, a measure to guard against easy collapse of commercial banks and to protect the depositors fund.
The regulatory power of the central bank in issuance of licenses and in setting operational standards ensures that the financial institutions are qualified to run such business, and ensure that financial services do not become all comers business. It ensures that commercial banks and other financial institutions maintain banking and financial services ethics. The fear of being sanctioned, makes the financial institutions to operate within the confide of the regulatory laws and guidelines. Without the central bank the financial sector of an economy will become an all comers business. With the proliferation of financial technologies (fintech), Central Bank of Nigeria regulates the activities of fintech companies to minimize the incident of fraud.
The apex bank issues guidelines from time to time on banking, money market and other financial instruments to ensure liquidity in the financial sector and indeed the economy, to protect the depositors, investors from any sharp practices of the deposit money banks, others. It protects the bank customers from unwholesome, fraudulent and unethical practices of the financial institutions. It checkmates the excesses of financial institutions.
The commercial banks submit reports on their reserves, transactions and risks assessment to central bank which creates confidence in the financial sector of the Nigerian economy. Read more on advantages of Central Bank controlling commercial banks and other financial institutions
NITDA
Established by National Information Technology Development Agency Act, the National Information Technology Development Agency is saddled with the responsibility of creating framework for the planning, research, development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of Information Technology practices in Nigeria. Tech companies in Nigeria must comply with the provisions of the Act, and submit themselves to the regulatory authority of the NITDA. Before any technological products can be launched into Nigerian market, they must pass NITDA certification. This is to protect the Nigerians who use these tech products especially.
Consumer Protection Laws in Nigeria
- The Public Health Laws, 1917 now known as Public Health Ordinance Cap 164 of 1958
- The Food and Drugs Decree, No. 35 of 1974
- The Standards Organizations of Nigeria (SON) Decree, No. 56 of 1971
- The Animal Disease Control Decree, No. 10 of 1988
- The Marketing of Breast Milk Substitute Decree, No. 41 of 1990
- The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Decree No. 15 of 1993 Laws of the Federation.
- The National Film and Video Censors Act No.85 of 1993 Laws of the Federation.
- The Nigerian Communication Act 2003
- The Civil Aviation Act 2006
- The Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005
- The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018
- The Central Bank of Nigeria Act 2007
- The National Information and Technology Development Agency Act 2007
- The National Broadcasting Commission Act No.38, 1992
- The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency Act 2007-2018