Briefing of the Honourable Ministers of
Trade and Investment
CONSUMER PROTECTION COUNCIL (CPC)
The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) is the apex consumer
protection agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria
Following the United Nations Economic and Social Council
resolution, urging Governments to develop, strengthen or
maintain a strong consumer protection regime in their countries,
CPC was established by Act No. 66 of 1992, but started partial
operations only in 1999
Our mandate requires us to encourage businesses to adopt best
practices & thereby ensure the well-being of consumers
INTRODUCTION
WHO WE ARE
To be a dynamic, effective and responsible apex
consumer protection agency of the Federal
Government of Nigeria, championing the cause
of fully sensitised consumers to achieve a caring
and sufficiently consumer-friendly community
VISION AND MISSION
OUR VISION
Committed to protect and enhance consumers’
interest through information, education and
enforcement of appropriate standards for goods
and services and to promote an environment
of fair and ethical trade practices
VISION AND MISSION
OUR MISSION
CPC has a Board, which formulates policies for
the running of the Council; & a Director
General, responsible for its day to day running
Six Departments:- Consumer Education,
Surveillance & Enforcement, Quality Assurance
& Development, Planning Research & Statistics,
Administration & Finance
Three Units:- Legal, Public Relations & Internal
Audit
OPERATIONS
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
The objectives of the CPC are to:
• Check & minimise imperfections in the
marketplace
• Balance the power relations between
consumers and producers of goods and
services
• Enhance collaboration among regulatory
bodies to better the lot of Nigerian consumers
• Create a level playing field for businesses to
operate effectively
FUNCTIONS
OBJECTIVES
Other objectives of the CPC are to:
• Ensure robust legislation for consumer
protection
• Take consumer protection activities to the
grassroots in order to protect vulnerable
consumers
• Get Nigerian consumers to imbibe the culture
of being responsible & assertive consumers
(particularly from the young age)
FUNCTIONS
OBJECTIVES… II
• Providing speedy redress to consumers
complaints
• Eliminating fake and substandard products
from the market
• Organising & undertaking consumer
awareness programmes
KEY FUNCTIONS
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
• Issuing guidelines to producers of goods and
services
• Ensuring that consumers interest receive due
consideration at appropriate forum
• Encouraging businesses to adopt best
practices
• Encouraging the formation of voluntary
consumer groups or associations
KEY FUNCTIONS
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES…cont’d
The following targets have been set by the
Council for the period 2011 – 2015:
• Achieve 80% average level of awareness of
consumer rights in Nigeria
• Successfully resolve not less than 85%
consumer complaints
• Reduce the current level of sub-standard
goods and services in Nigeria by 75%
• Reduce incidences of injuries and deaths
resulting from hazardous products
OPERATIONS
TARGETS OF THE ORGANISATION
For the period 2011 – 2015, we also intend to:
• Reduce sharp/ fraudulent business practices
by 50%
• Increase consumers value for money by 65%
• Increase the Council’s visibility to 90%
• Increase operational efficiency of the Council
by 50%
OPERATIONS
TARGETS OF THE ORGANISATION…. II
To achieve our targets for the period, 2011 - 15,
we shall embark on the following:
• Intensification of enforcement operations to
rid the market of fake, counterfeit, hazardous,
expired & banned products
• Speedying up the Council’s complaints
resolution process
• Sustaining on-going consumer awareness
campaigns & introducing new ones
• Registering and monitoring products, services & sales
promotions in the country
OPERATIONS
STRATEGIES TO MEET THE TARGETS
Other steps we will be taking are:
• Encouraging producers of goods and services to
adhere to quality standards/specifications
• Issuing appropriate guidelines and regulations to
providers of goods & services to check new trends in
consumer abuses in the marketplace
• Engaging/collaborating with producers of genuine
products in eliminating fake products from the market
• Prosecuting offenders of consumer protection laws
• Naming and shaming companies that indulge in
malpractices
OPERATIONS
STRATEGIES TO MEET THE TARGETS …. II
We will also be:
• Carrying out regular quality checks and tests
on products to ascertain their quality
• Conducting research on consumer satisfaction
with products & services in all sectors of the
economy & publishing same
• Collaborating with other regulatory agencies
(for seamless delivery of service) &
international development partners (to
enhance capacity)
OPERATIONS
STRATEGIES TO MEET THE TARGETS …. III
During the same period, we hope to:
• Set up alternative dispute resolution (ADR) centres in
all states of the Federation
• Sustaining the Council’s Consumer Information and
Response Centres in the 774 LGAs in Nigeria
• Increase the capacity of existing zonal offices and the
Lagos Office, & establish state offices
• Work towards the introduction & implementation of
Consumer Education in Schools Curricula
• Improve in staff training and level of manpower
OPERATIONS
STRATEGIES TO MEET THE TARGETS …. IV
Transformation of CPC into Nigeria Trade &
Competition Commission (NTCC):
• There is an NTCC bill in the National Assembly, which proposes the
transformation of CPC into the new Commission comprising the
following four related bodies, each of which shall be governed by its
specific legislation, namely; Anti-dumping Authority; Anti-Trust
Competition Authority; Consumer Protection Council; and Weights
and Measures
• We will be working towards the passage of this Bill, which is more
comprehensive than the one being proposed by the BPE, which is
very narrow in its scope
• More so, many of the abuses suffered by consumers in the
marketplace are competition related
OPERATIONS
STRATEGIES TO MEET THE TARGETS …. V
• Issuing Regulations (which constitute subsidiary
legislation) to curtail consumer abuses in the market
place (E.g. Consumer Protection Sales Promotions Monitoring
Regulations and Products/Services Monitoring & Registration
Regulations)
• Producing Guidelines to enable industry and
professional associations to develop and
enforce in their various fields quality standards
designed to safeguard the interest of
consumers (E.g. Guidelines on Sales Promotion & Registration
Monitoring; Guidelines for Inspection of Motor Vehicle Garages;
Guidelines on Bus Transport Services & Complaint Redress Mechanism
Guidelines)
OPERATIONS
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
• Creating awareness on the rights &
responsibilities of the consumer & enhancing
the visibility of CPC (by hosting radio/tv programmes, making
presentations to various audiences, delivering lectures, speaking to
individuals/groups, organising workshops and seminars, erecting
billboards, mounting displays at events like trade fairs, exhibitions, etc)
• Undertaking periodic research and evaluation
on the performance of products & service
providers, consumer satisfaction in vital areas
of the economy, etc (i.e. health services, telecom/postal
services, electricity, transport, banking & finance, water & sanitation
and consumer satisfaction in the aviation sector)
OPERATIONS
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS. II
• Undertaking surveillance & enforcement
operations in different markets across the
country (e.g. Sokoto, Kano, Aba, Port-Harcourt, Onitsha, Enugu,
Lagos, Abuja, Katsina, Zaria, Ilorin, Benin, Ibadan, etc)
• Resolving successfully thousands of consumer
complaints through negotiation, mediation &
conciliation
• Conducting quality tests & analysis on
products and services
• Prosecuting offenders in Kano, Zaria, Kaduna &
Lagos successfully
PARTNERSHIP AND NETWORKING
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS… III
• Setting up six zonal offices in Awka, Katsina,
Bauchi, Minna, Port-Harcourt & Osogbo; & Lagos
office for the country’s commercial hub
• Facilitating the inauguration of State Consumer
Protection Committees in Imo, Lagos, Cross-River,
Niger, Ondo, Kano, Jigawa & Osun States
• Setting up information & response centres in
some local government areas across the
Federation
• Setting up a call centre to increase our reach –
0700 CALL CPC
INTERVENTIONIST PROGRAMMES
KEY ACHIEVMENTS… IV
• Hosting quarterly meetings for sector regulators, the
national standards body & security agencies to deepen
cooperation among the agencies & thereby enhance
the protection of consumers in the country
• Collaborating with sector regulators & the national
standards body in achieving better
regulations/standards for products & services
• Partnering with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of
the United States of America (exchanged visits & held
a joint capacity building seminar in Abuja, Nigeria)
PARTNERSHIP AND NETWORKING
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS… V
• Undertaking study visit to South African Agencies to
learn best practices, share information & intelligence
& facilitate staff exchange programmes, etc
• Securing membership of the International Consumer
Protection & Enforcement Network (ICPEN) made up
of organisations from over 40 countries & participating
in the organisation’s activities
• Securing membership of Consumers International (CI)
& collaboration with member organisations
• Participation in teleconference sessions/activities of
the Informal African Dialogue on Consumer Protection
PARTNERSHIP AND NETWORKING
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS… VI
• Our key initiatives & deliverables for the period
shall include
Activity/Project
Consumer
Information and
Response Centres
(Community
Consumer Policing)
Market Presence
Scheme
Key Deliverable
Operation of centres
in local government
areas for information
dissemination and
conflict/complaints
resolution
Opening of outlets and
deployments of staff in
major markets across
the country
Total %
Deliverable for
One Year
40%
50%
OPERATIONS
KEY INITIATIVES & DELIVERABLES
• Our key initiatives & deliverables for the period
shall include
Activity/Project
Re-design,
management and
increase in bandwidth
on our interactive
website by Galaxy
Backbone Plc
Conducting research and
surveys on consumer
satisfaction in products
and services in different
sectors of the economy,
across the six geo-political
zones of the Federation
Key Deliverable
Establishing IT
platform to automate
CPC processes for
optimal performance
& reach at least 50%
of Nigerian consumers
Undertaking a
proactive assessment
of the performance of
products & services
and reporting same
Total %
Deliverable for
One Year
100%
100%
OPERATIONS
KEY INITIATIVES & DELIVERABLES …. II
Inadequate
Operational
Facilities/Resources
Limited Capacity
• Lack of some basic operational facilities
• Lack of resources to implement relevant
programmes
• Lack of presence in every state of the Federation
• Low staff strength to effectively protect Nigeria’s
over 140 million consumers
• Lack of staff training
CHALLENGES
Problems with the
CPC Act
• Some noticeable weaknesses
• Some new market trends not properly captured
and provided for in the Act (E.g. Safeguards for
ICT consumers)
• CPC is working hard to have its law amended
• The proposed amendment provides for
establishment of state offices, expanded powers of
investigation/sanctions & codification of consumer
rights for the first time in Nigeria
Pushing for
Increased
Funding
• This is aimed at acquiring basic operational facilities
• Securing increased funding will also make for the
unhindered implementation of relevant
programmes
Building
Capacity
• Opening additional offices , hiring more personnel
& training the workforce
• Seeking the collaboration of development partners
to build capacity
RESOLVING THE CHALLENGES
Undertaking
Legal
Reforms
• Creating a level playing field for businesses to thrive
• Encouraging businesses to adopt best practices for the purpose of
gaining consumer confidence & increased patronage
Impact on the Economy
• Promoting genuine businesses, thus sustaining existing employment
& creating new ones
• Enhancing the quality of available products & services
• Engendering healthy competition needed for a thriving economy
Enhancing productivity
• Development & implementation of ProServe as a listing regime that
will establish a code of practice for the traceability & monitoring of
products & services in Nigeria
NEW FOCUS OF THE MINISTRY
Investment
Development of • Building the patronage of
SMEs and
SMEs by encouraging
them to adopt best
industrial
practices
Clusters (where
applicable)
NEW FOCUS OF THE MINISTRY
Job creation & • Partnering with relevant
skills
bodies to train & enhance
enhancement for the capacity of artisans
under the ProServe
skills relevant to
programme
the economy
• It is apparent from the above that the Council has
continued to witness a lot of progress in spite of its
challenges
• As the Council becomes more effective and efficient in
its operations, the society would benefit immensely
from the sanity that will be instituted in the marketplace
• Nigeria will also become an attraction for investment as
there will be a level playing field for businesses
• There will also be increased confidence in Made-inNigeria products/services, thus encouraging investors to
produce in the country
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
OPERATIONS
TRUCKLOADS OF SUBSTANDARD ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS
SEIZED BY OUR INSPECTORS
APPRECIATION
THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION