The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) have urged business owners to comply with consumer protection laws or face sanctions for improper pricing, misleading product labeling, and refusal of legitimate refunds.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FCCPC, Tunji Bello, stated this at a joint stakeholders’ engagement forum in Lagos.
Bello, represented by FCCPC South-West Zonal Coordinator Olubunmi Otti, said consumers must be assured of transparent pricing, proper product labeling, and their rights to refunds, replacements, or repairs where applicable.
He said the engagement was aimed at helping businesses understand their legal obligations and the importance of compliance in protecting both consumers and businesses.
Bello said displaying prices before purchase is essential for fairness, ensuring consumers know the cost of items and preventing inconsistent pricing.
According to him, the engagement focused on three key consumer protection issues: price display, minimum product labeling requirements, and return and refund obligations. It described these as essential measures for helping consumers make informed purchasing decisions, encouraging fair competition, and creating a level playing field for responsible businesses.
“The objective of the engagement was not only to remind businesses of their legal obligations but also to explain why compliance is important for protecting both consumers and businesses” He said.
Highlighting common consumer complaints, the Commission cited instances where shoppers discover higher prices at checkout because products have no displayed prices, consumers purchase poorly labeled products that later cause damage, and customers are wrongly denied refunds, repairs, or replacements despite legal provisions protecting such rights.
Also, the General manager of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo, described the forum as a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening collaboration between regulators and business owners to promote a fair, transparent, and consumer-friendly marketplace.
He said the forum underscores a shared commitment to ensuring that Nigeria’s marketplace remains trustworthy while balancing enforcement with education and encouraging sustainable business practices.
Solebo noted that regulatory agencies across the country have intensified enforcement against unfair trade practices, with several businesses already sanctioned for displaying goods without price tags, selling expired products, using misleading or inadequate product labels, and refusing valid requests for returns and refunds.
He explained that the collaboration between FCCPC and LASCOPA stems from a Memorandum of Understanding signed in April 2026 to strengthen cooperation in enforcement, consumer education, complaint resolution, market surveillance, information sharing, capacity building, and coordinated regulatory action.
The General manager also acknowledged the complementary roles of regulatory agencies, including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, and other sector regulators in ensuring product quality, consumer safety, and fair competition.
“Compliance with pricing regulations, product labeling standards, and consumer redress mechanisms is not optional. It is a legal obligation under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 and the Lagos State Consumer Protection Law 2025, as amended,” the General manager said.
He explained that the collaboration between FCCPC and LASCOPA stems from a Memorandum of Understanding signed in April 2026 to strengthen cooperation in enforcement, consumer education, complaint resolution, market surveillance, information sharing, capacity building, and coordinated regulatory action.
Quoting the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FCCPC, Tunji Bello, He described the agreement as “not ceremonial but an operational framework” designed to improve consumer protection through stronger institutional synergy for more than 20 million Lagos residents.
Highlighting key areas of discussion at the forum, Solebo identified transparent pricing as one of the pillars of consumer protection, emphasizing that every consumer has the right to know the exact price of a product before making a purchase.
On product labeling, Solebo said labels are essential sources of information for consumers and must clearly state the product identity, ingredients, manufacturing and expiry dates, alongside other mandatory information, to enable informed purchasing decisions and safeguard consumer rights.
.
.
