Nigerians have expressed their surprise at the removal of Babatunde Irukera, the erstwhile Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
FIJ spoke with Florence Abebe, the chief legal officer of the FCCPC, after President Bola Tinubu directed Irukera’s dismissal.
“Thank you for reaching out. It is a sad day for us at the commission. I worked very closely with him,” Abebe told FIJ on Tuesday.
“Indeed, from the security at the gate to the top, Mr. Irukera is an enigma. He built the FCCPC from scratch; he came at a time when most staff were unmotivated and dejected (for a lack of a better word) and turned things around.
“His first promise to staff was their welfare. He moved the office from a dilapidated building to a more befitting building. He understood that to ensure staff were unapproachable for poaching, he had to chase competitive salaries; he chased and got it. In an unprecedented manner, he pursued serious capacity training for staff locally and internationally.
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“Mr Irukera was not about giving instructions; he did the work himself. He sought the help of the FTC, DoJ, World Bank, Eleanor Fox, EU, etc., to help with staff development and professionalism. There is hardly a staff that did not benefit from Mr. Irukera’s knowledge and open access policy.
“Prior to the establishment of the FCCPC, he proceeded to launch the Patient Bill of Rights (PBoR). He started his tenure as CEO of FCCPC by prioritising competition enforcement. Given that, by way of historical background, the commission’s strength was in the area of consumer protection, he decided to prioritise competition advocacy and sensitization.
“He began mass capacity development of FCCPC staff in the area of competition enforcement by membership in key international competition organisations, establishing the mergers and acquisitions department to limit market disruptions, setting up a team responsible for the regulatory roadmap of the commission, and in no time gazetting the mergers and acquisitions regulations guidelines, abuse of dominance regulations, market definition regulations, restrictive agreement regulations and leniency programmes.”
In a State House statement on Monday, Tinubu’s decision to remove Irukera and Alexander Ayoola Okoh, the Director-General and CEO of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), was made public.
The statement from the president claimed that the removals were “in conformity with plans to restructure and reposition critical agencies of the Federal Government towards protecting the rights of Nigerian consumers and providing a strong basis for enhanced contributions to the nation’s economy by key growth-enabling institutions”.
Irukera and Okoh were directed to hand over their responsibilities to the next most senior officer in their respective agencies. The acting CEOs will hold the fort until the appointment of new CEOs.
FCCPC staff shared the same sentiment as many Nigerians; they felt that a ‘dismissal’ was a dishonourable way to describe Irukera’s exit.
“Indeed, the word ‘dismissal’ was the wrong choice of word,” Abebe told FIJ on Tuesday.
“The EVC’s integrity is unmatched. His reputation precedes him. It is unfortunate that a man who has served this country tirelessly with all humility, doggedness and focus would be relieved of his role in such an unappreciative manner.
“To remove, there must be cause, and the president should do it with Senate approval. That’s why his removal came as a shock.
“You may want to cross-check this with sections 5(1) and 8(2) of the FCCPA
Festus Ogun, a constitutional and human rights lawyer, also faulted the handling of Irukera’s exit in the State House statement.
“Using the word ‘dismiss’ in a statutory employment is uncharitable to Babatunde Irukera, who did an outstanding job at FCCPC Nigeria,” Ogun posted on X on Monday.
“Dismissal relates to being fired for grave misconduct. This is not a good way to announce the disengagement of an exceptional public servant.”
Commenting on his removal on Monday, Irukera said, “Grateful for the opportunity to have served the incredibly vibrant and loyal Nigerian citizens/consumers. They deserve a better deal.”
“I leave behind a strong institutional advocate in the FCCPC, & an outstanding team of soldiers who work there daily for the cause of fair markets.”
Goodwill messages followed Irukera’s post on X in the comments section and quotes.
Abebe confirmed that the EVC role at FCCPC is tenured at four years per term.
Irukera was the Director General of the Consumer Protection Council between April 2017 and December 2019. He became the executive vice chairman and CEO of the succeeding FCCPC in December 2019.