FOR Babatunde Irukera, the erstwhile Executive Vice Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), he had fought a good fight at the Commission, and his tenure at the federal government agency was an opportunity to serve.
“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, and an outstanding team of soldiers who work there daily for the cause of fair markets,” the former FCCPC’s boss had said, in reaction to the sack, on his X (formerly Twitter) Handle.
But while Irukera has taken the recent development in good faith, and has since moved on, many Nigerians, especially consumers, who have been positively impacted by the activities of the agency, over the years, are still in shock!
Interestingly, this is not unexpected. For many, the tenure of the Kogi-born legal luminary at the Commission, gave consumers, in this part of the clime, a new lease of life, a glimmer of hope and confidence that they matter afterall in the nation’s highly dynamic marketing space.
For instance, besides pushing for a more effective, active and potent agency, equipped with the right tools and resources to protect the rights of the consumers in the 21at century, one of the highlights of his tenure was the push for the transformation of the erstwhile Consumer Protection Council (CPC) to FCCPC, to achieve that goal and give teeth to the agency.
The establishment of the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal, during his tenure, remains another key achievement Nigerians are not likely to forget in a hurry. For instance, the Tribunal, empowered to hear appeals from, or review any decision from the exercise of the powers of any sector-specific regulatory authority, is seen by many as a better alternative, and the ultimate answer to the burden of long delay, usually associated with seeking justice at the nation’s regular courts.
Perhaps the strongest point of the Commission during his tenure remains the agency’s enforcement activities,
For instance, the agency’s war against unethical digital money lenders, and the raids of some of their outlets in Lagos, no doubt, brought some relief to many Nigerians who had, hitherto, been subject of harassments and intimidation from these ‘loan sharks’.
Irukera, during one of the raids, had insisted that while the agency would not support the idea of borrowing, with the intent not to pay, it would also not allow the borrower’s rights violated by the lender in the course of asking for a repayment.
By the end of last year, the agency said it had been able to reduce the harassment and defamatory messages sent by digital money lenders to their customers by 80 percent.
It was also on record that Irukera’s tenure saw the agency venturing into terrains, where even angels fear to tread. For instance, its decision to investigate the death of Peju Ugboma, a Lagos Chef, and that of a 28-year-old Moradeun Balogun, a Lagos worker, allegedly denied treatment by a Lagos hospital, R-Jolad, because a police report was not presented, was not without its drama.
For instance, medics of the Premier Specialist Hospital, who had been accused of negligence by Peju’s widower, simply refused to show up at the panel of public enquiry set up by the agency to probe Peju’s death.
The doctors, according to the hospital’s counsel, Abimbola Akeredolu, decided to stay away following the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN)’s threat to withdraw their licences should they appear before the panel. A subtle way of covering up the misdeeds to their members, and telling the agency that such investigation was beyond its purview. But Irukera is not one to be intimidated by such act. The Nigerian patient is entitled to some rights, and the agency is not acting outside the law by insisting such rights should not be violated.
Interestingly, the agency’s recent investigation and landmark fine of the British American Tobacco Nigeria, and other affiliates, to the tune of $110m for infractions of several laws, towards the end of 2023, was seen by many as one of those feats that should have fetched the FCCPC boss some garlands, especially from the government. Prior to those interventions, the Nigerian market place had been a space for consumer rights abuse, from businesses, leaving the harmless consumers with no hope of getting justice.
But, despite the array of feats achieved by FCCPC during Irukera’s tenure, not a few believe there are dreams, aborted by his sack! For instance, sources close to the agency confided in Brands & Marketing that a sizeable number of companies would have been given the ‘BATN treatment’, for consumer rights violation, in the new year, but for the sack.
Besides, the vigour to pursue and secure favourable judgement from the courts where the agency is presently prosecuting some individuals or group, for consumer rights infractions may also dip. It’s a common knowledge that a new leadership in any organisatzon, in this part of the globe, most times, is not always interested in continuing where its predecessors stopped. The hope of many is that Irukera’s successor will be an exemption to such rule and culture.
The former FCCPC boss believes he is leaving a legacy of a ‘strong institutional advocate in FCCPC’, and not a few agree with that assertion. But, the hope of many is that his successor continue with the legacy, while ensuring those beautiful dreams of his are not jettisoned.