Irukera’s Modest Achievements And Quest For Best Practices At FCCPC

Since the assumption of duty of Chief Babatunde Irukera at the formerly Consumer Protection Council ,CPC,renamed as Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission(FCCPC),to address the growing gap of customers and consumers inactions from retailers,producers and some middle agents.
The agency’s mandate penultimate his ascension that deals merely with customers and consumers complaints, was expanded to regulatory and enforcement of both local and foreign products, to adhere strictly both to the pricing and sales regulations of items.
The new helmsan,Barrister Baabatunde Irukera global experience in services and consumption,delve into corporate and private regulators, so as to further bring on board sane and generally acceptable template of buying and selling ,but basically to protect the interest of the consumers, as for FCCPC , It is important to raise awareness on informing people to be on the side of caution concerning what they eat and consume, Price gauging, Food products that have exceeded its “Use-by” or “Use Before” dates must not be eaten and it is harmful to produce food products with expired raw materials. Use-by and best-before dates are often confusing, especially to consumers, but the differences between them are easy to remember once you know what they are.
Babatunde Irukera reinvigorated the monitoring and enforcement unit of the new Commission,to address the onerous task as well as backlog of complaints and disatisfation by many Nigerians, who were averse to being short change both by producers and suppliers of both local and foreign products.
His era in the new FCCPC is a testament of a robust leadership disposition, that operates on the line of people centered, and best way to address the growing anomaly prevalent between consumers and producers in Nigeria as well as importers..
The new line of operation in both locally produced and imported items, had been a major challenge to average merchants of all types of both services and products, in his view to discourage sharp practices between buyers and sellers.
Barrister Irukera had been the symbol of doing the right thing in Nigeria, and a guide to those doing business in the country in the area of both indigenous and foreigh businesses.
Even though,his new style of leadership,by extension orientation about products and services is not bereft of antagonists,whose ideas is the strong believe in business as usual and sharp practices, against the consumers,he remain focus in the fact of redressing and reverting to status quo.
One of his remarkable achievements is controversial clinical trial by Pfizer pharmaceutical company in Kano in 1996. Pfizer had progressed final stages of a clinical trial of their then proposed antibiotic, Trovan during the largest meningitis epidemic break out in northern Nigeria. With the resilience of Irukera and his team, the case came to a close by a negotiated settlement of $80 Million as justice for children and families affected. This deal remains the largest settlement yet in Nigeria.
In the last few years of his leadership in FCCPC,the Director General has been able to cocoon the modus operandi of both foreigners and Nigerians to a transparent mode of transactions in
all ramification in line with the dictates of the laws and statutues of the country.
No doubt,the operational prowess in the new FCCPC, is now a trademark of all producers,suppliers and marketers of all products across Nigeria and beyond the shores of the country.
Shola Jackson
shola_jackson247@gmail.com
Written from Lagos