The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, has been named Government Agency of the Year 2023.
The agency, under the leadership of chief executive Babatunde Irukera was recognised for promoting fairness, regulatory stability and consumer protection within the Nigerian marketplace.
It is part of awards announced by the Leadership Newspaper, across different sectors, to meriting individuals and agencies.
Some of the awards and awardees include the person of the year 2023 award given to the Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who the newspaper said merited the award for his can-do spirit which has marked him out as a quintessential politician and;
Labour Party’s Peter Obi, who emerged the politician of the year 2023 for redefining the political calculations. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was also awarded politician of the year 2023, alongside Obi.
Since he took over his leadership role as executive vice-chairman/chief executive officer of the commission, Irukera has taken on a quest of reshaping and rebranding the FCCPC into a proactive and consumer-centric Federal Commission.
The commission, since 2019, has recorded numerous milestones and strategic interventions cutting across diverse sectors, including healthcare, digital finance and electricity and has also played a key role in shaping their operational policies and regulatory framework.
In the digital finance landscape, the FCCPC has taken proactive measures against unregistered digital money lenders.
The agency’s release of a comprehensive list of illegal loan apps, coupled with the delisting of some applications from the Google Play Store, demonstrates a resolute commitment to protecting Nigerian consumers in the ever-evolving digital space.
In the area of Electricity, the FCCPC implemented various programs and initiatives to improve service delivery and promote transparency and accountability in the electricity sector.
Some of these programs which were supported by MacArthur Foundation, include awareness campaigns, town hall meetings, and an electricity consumer complaint resolution platform.
Other achievements include implementation of strategic initiatives to improve its effectiveness,
collaboration with stakeholders to launch a Patients’ Bill of Rights (PBoR) in Nigeria, collaboration with online marketing companies to establish five guiding principles for regulating electronic commerce. The FCCPC also carried out various investigations in the Food and Beverage Industry,
The Commission, led by Mr. Irukera, also collaborated with the Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Police Force to conduct a raid on traders involved in importing contaminated rice in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State. The traders were apprehended, and the products were confiscated and suspects prosecuted.
So far, the FCCPC has collaborated with various regulatory agencies and stakeholders to promote consumer protection and competition. Some of these are, NCC, NERC, NCAA, NITDA, SON, NAFDAC, NSC, JAMB, NDPB, ICPC, EFCC, CBN, and FRSC.
They also collaborated with IBA to explore competition law trends in Africa and signed an MOU with ECA to promote fair trade practices between Nigeria and Egypt, involving information sharing, joint investigations, and improving competition law and policy.
Also, in September, the FCCPC was acknowledged as the most efficient and transparent government agency in Nigeria in an online poll.
The survey was conducted on three online platforms; LinkedIn, The Bureau Newspaper website, and Nairaland, in order to measure the public’s view of the efficiency and performance of particular Nigerian government agencies.
The evaluated agencies included the FCCPC, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
The results of the poll showed that the FCCPC had the highest approval rating with 1,912 votes (52.48%), followed by NITDA with 866, NCC with 180, SON with 144, NAFDAC with 397, NCAA with 36, and NOSDRA with 37.
The newspaper said, “The FCCPC emerged as the clear leader in the poll, achieving the highest approval rate.
“The strong support it received reflects the agency’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding consumer rights and promoting fair competition within Nigeria’s evolving marketplace.
“The FCCPC’s focus on addressing anticompetitive practices and protecting consumers has clearly resonated with the majority of respondents.
Other awards by Leadership include CEO of the year- Dupe Olusola and Michael Bayo Akinola; Banker of the year- Yemisi Edun; Bank of the year- United Bank Of Africa PLC; Oil and Gas company of the year- Seplat Energy and Aradel Holdings Plc; amongst others.
Chioma Kalu
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