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BPE to raise panel on consumer protection bill

By on February 20, 2015

The Bureau of Public Enterprises has said that it will set up an interagency project delivery team to ensure the early passage of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (Anti-Trust) Bill.

The Director-General, BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, said this when he hosted his counterpart from the Consumer Protection Council, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Acting Head of Public Communications at the privatisation agency, Mr. Alex Okoh.

The bill is one of the eight approved by the Federal Executive Council last week for onward transmission to the National Assembly for passage.

Dikki said an interagency project delivery team would soon be set up to achieve the goal.

He said the team, to be led by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, would have other relevant ministries and government agencies as members.

The BPE boss said the agency had already drawn up a road map, specifying the role each stakeholder would play, adding that it would recommend to the government that the CPC should form the nucleus of the agency that would emerge as a regulator in the sector.

He noted that the bill was ratified by the FEC for onward transmission to the National Assembly over seven years after it was drafted.

Dikki added that there was a need for a strong and independent regulatory body that would ensure a level playing field for all those who would want to play in the sector and ensure that no player was muscled out.

According to him, the bill will strive to ensure that government monopoly is not replaced by private sector monopoly.

He added that the bill, which includes antitrust regulation in addition to consumer protection, would widen the scope of the CPC.

Atoki noted that the time had come for Nigeria to join the league of countries protecting the rights of consumers of goods and services, and ensure fair competition.

She said the approval of the bill by FEC for onward transmission to the National Assembly was an added value in the protection of the rights of consumers in the country.

 

[Punch]