CJN: FCCPC key to protecting Nigeria’s markets

By Abubakar Yunusa

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, on Tuesday said the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission plays a crucial role in safeguarding Nigeria’s business environment and protecting the integrity of the marketplace.

She spoke in Abuja at the opening of a three-day Competition and Consumer Protection Law Conference organised at the National Judicial Institute, Jabi.

The event attracted senior judicial officers, regulators, legal practitioners and policy experts who gathered to deliberate on emerging issues in competition and consumer protection law.

In a statement by the FCCPC Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, the CJN stressed that the commission remains a key institution within Nigeria’s regulatory framework.

“As the statutory authority responsible for enforcing competition and consumer protection laws, the Commission plays a vital role in safeguarding the integrity of the marketplace,” Kekere-Ekun said.

The CJN noted that competition and consumer protection law had become one of the fastest-growing areas of legal practice globally due to developments in digital markets, evolving corporate structures and emerging consumer rights challenges.

“Across jurisdictions, competition and consumer protection law has rapidly evolved into one of the most dynamic and litigated fields of legal practice,” she said.

Kekere-Ekun added that the growing complexity of modern markets meant courts would increasingly handle disputes relating to competition law, regulatory enforcement and consumer rights.

She therefore called for stronger collaboration between regulators and the judiciary to ensure effective interpretation and enforcement of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018.

“Continuous dialogue and knowledge exchange between regulators and the judiciary are indispensable,” the CJN added.

Earlier in his remarks, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, stressed the need for greater awareness of competition and consumer protection laws among regulators, businesses and members of the judiciary.

“Competition and consumer protection law often finds its most practical expression in the courtroom,” Bello said.

“It is there that the legal principles governing markets are tested, clarified and given authoritative interpretation.”

He explained that the FCCPA 2018 established a comprehensive national framework for regulating anti-competitive practices, protecting consumer welfare, reviewing mergers and acquisitions and strengthening market surveillance in Nigeria.

Bello also noted that technological innovation, digital commerce and cross-border transactions were rapidly transforming market operations.

“Technological innovation, digital commerce, cross-border transactions and increasingly complex corporate structures continue to reshape how markets function,” he said.

According to him, the evolving nature of modern markets means courts are increasingly required to examine economic evidence, expert testimony and market data in determining whether certain conduct restricts competition or harms consumer welfare.