Some consumers have praised the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for resolving over 9,091 complaints across 20 sectors of the economy in the past six months.
The commendations, shared through the commission’s official X handle on Friday, also recognised the recovery of more than N10 billion wrongly deducted from consumer transactions.
Several contributors urged the FCCPC to sustain and build on the achievements, while also intensifying efforts to address unresolved complaints.
A consumer identified as @Chidi_nka wrote that the commission’s recent steps were in the right direction.
“The FCCPC finally awakened to complaints of ordinary Nigerians over breach of data privacy by loan sharks. Digital money lending is novel in Nigeria and should be properly regulated to avoid undue exploitations,” he said.
Onodi Ugo (@halifaxme) also applauded the FCCPC’s efforts, urging it to continue targeting what he described as “crooks who defraud unsuspecting Nigerians in the name of digital money lending.”
Another contributor, Ibrahim Lawani (@Omaforsnr), gave a thumbs up to the agency, saying, “Great job to FCCPC in the past months.”
However, not all consumers were satisfied. Some appealed for quicker resolution of their personal cases.
A contributor named CornerStone said: “Dear FCCPC, @gtbank @gtbank_help has deducted my money illegally since July 8. N190,000 was deducted from the money I borrowed to do business. Till now, I have not been refunded and my money has not been recovered. It is over 50 days, please help me.”
Abdullahi Turawa (@bababah) also wrote: “Good afternoon @fccpcnigeria, I have filed a complaint and I’m yet to receive a response. Kindly look into it as it is urgent. Thank you.”
Another consumer, using the handle In the Saviors Hands (@ElMannyEl), urged the FCCPC to investigate alleged fraud in cooking gas sales.
“N7,000 gas does not last more than two weeks unlike before. A kilo of gas could last for one month before but no more,” the user said.
Similarly, Isaac Ogoyombo criticised the commission for not working with the EFCC to address complaints against DELUX VIRTUAL SERVICES, which he said is duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Earlier, FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr Ondaje Ijagwu, disclosed that banking-related complaints dominated between March and August, with 3,173 cases, followed by 1,543 relating to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and 1,442 fintech-related complaints.
Other areas included electricity (458), e-commerce (412), telecommunications (409), retail/wholesale (329), aviation (243), information technology (131), and road transport and logistics (114).
Ijagwu explained that the complaints covered issues such as unfair charges, unauthorised deductions, service failures, deceptive marketing, poor disclosure of terms, defective products, and delayed redress.
He confirmed that 9,091 complaints were resolved within the period, with recoveries exceeding N10 billion.
“The amount reflects both the scale of harm experienced and the financial burden borne by consumers in the absence of effective redress,” he said.
Reacting, the Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Mr Tunji Bello, reiterated the commission’s commitment to consumer welfare.
*“Banking is the dominant source of consumer complaints, both in volume and financial exposure, highlighting recurring issues in loan deductions, account charges and transaction disputes.
“Banking and fintech dominated the financial impact, showing consumer vulnerability where services are both essential and high value, signalling an urgent need for stronger joint regulation with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),”* Bello stated.
(NAN)