Lagos Assembly Passes Consumer Protection Law

A bill to protect consumers’ rights in Lagos was last week passed into law by the state House of Assembly at plenary.

The bill was passed into law after members took the third reading of the bill. It is to be sent to Governor Babatunde Fashola for assent.

The bill which is a private member bill introduced by speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji has been in the works in the House since the 5th Assembly.

The bill is tagged, ‘Law to establish the consumer protection agency, provide for the protection of the interest of consumers, settlement of consumers disputes and for connected purposes.

It among other things will protect the right of consumers against marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life; and seek redress against unfair trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers.

“The Agency shall among other things ensure speedy redress of consumer complaints through negotiation, mediation and conciliation; cause where necessary quality tests to be conducted on a consumer product etc.”

Remarking on the passage of the bill, Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji who sponsored the bill thanked the Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, Public complaints and Petition, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade for his diligent work on the bill to make sure it finally sees the light of day.

He said, “let me thank Hon. Agunbiade that for the first time in the history of the country we have a law to protect the consumers. We have been on it since the 5th Assembly. It is a thing of joy for me because it has been my dream to have this law in place and I needed a competent hand to handle it.

“The executive and some NGOs made very useful inputs to the final outcome of the bill.  I thank everybody and once again, Agunbiade congratulations”, Ikuforiji said.