The Consumer Protection Council has said it will work with the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency to ensure speedy redress of consumer complaints in the country.

The Director-General, CPC, Mr. Babatunde Irukera, said this when the Board of the LASCOPA visited him in Abuja.

He commended Lagos State for establishing the agency, adding that both the CPC and LASCOPA would collaborate to ensure that the issue of consumer abuse became a thing of the past.

Irukera said the setting up of the agency by the state was vital as it would enable the government to ensure speedy redress of consumer complaints through negotiation, mediation and reconciliation.

He stated, “I want to commend Lagos State for prioritising consumer protection by legislating and creating their own agency. I am grateful that you have deemed it necessary to engage with the CPC and explore areas of collaboration.

“Protecting consumers in all 36 states and local governments in Nigeria is quite a job. Lagos, with a population of approximately 20 million people, with more than half the businesses in Nigeria domiciled there, makes it important to have an agency like yours.

“With effective collaboration between the CPC and LASCOPA, we will be able to offer maximum protection to consumers in the state.”

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

The Chairman, LASCOPA, Mrs. Funmi Falana, said the agency would work closely with the CPC in the areas of advocacy and enforcement.

She stated, “LASCOPA is just taking off, despite the fact that the law was passed in 2015. We will need to learn from the CPC, knowing how successful you have been in protecting consumers’ rights in the country.

“The problems we are going to encounter, you have encountered them. So it is in our best interest to work with the CPC to ensure that we hit the ground running.”