Lagos recovers N759m for consumers, resolves 10,720 complaints

The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency has secured N759.35m and $14,901.80 in refunds, billing adjustments and other forms of redress for consumers over the past six years.

The agency also resolved 10,720 of the 11,120 complaints received from consumers across various sectors within the period.

Its General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Afolabi Solebo, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Adesile Rufai.

Solebo said 250 complaints remained at different stages of mediation, while 150 had been referred to other relevant state agencies.

He said the complaints covered several sectors, including online marketing, automobile, education, logistics, telecommunications, aviation, transportation, hospitality, banking, finance, insurance, housing, food and beverages.

Others involved supermarkets, household appliances, medical services, oil and gas, and electricity distribution.

According to him, the agency had also intensified enforcement against businesses violating consumer protection regulations, issuing 437 notices of non-compliance to supermarkets and retail outlets following market surveillance exercises.

He said the violations included inadequate price disclosure, misleading product labelling and failure to provide essential product information.

Solebo said the agency had strengthened its regulatory presence through the establishment and upgrading of eight annex offices across Lagos State.

The offices are located in Agege, Badagry, Epe, Ikorodu, Ojo, Bariga, Ikoyi-Obalende and Isolo.

He said the facilities were equipped with operational tools, including public address systems and mobile phones, to bring complaint management, mediation and consumer education closer to residents.

He added that the agency was engaging local government authorities to secure additional office accommodation ahead of 2027.

On consumer awareness, Solebo said LASCOPA had expanded public enlightenment through radio and television programmes, community engagements, stakeholder meetings and social media campaigns.

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He said the campaigns educated residents on their rights to safety, accurate information, fair value, freedom of choice and redress.

He added that public awareness initiatives against counterfeit and expired products, deceptive advertising and hidden charges had encouraged consumers to demand receipts and verify product labels before making purchases.

The general manager said the agency’s enforcement activities were guided by the Lagos State Consumer Protection Law 2025, as amended, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018.

He also cited the agency’s “No Price Tag, No Sales” campaign as part of efforts to promote pricing transparency and fair trading practices among businesses.

On collaboration, Solebo said the agency had partnered with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on April 21 in Abuja.

He said the agreement provided a framework for information sharing, joint consumer interventions and coordinated enforcement between state and federal consumer protection institutions.

On revenue generation, Solebo disclosed that the agency generated more than N20m for the state government between January and September, exceeding its annual target of N10m by more than 100 per cent.

He attributed the performance to improved institutional capacity and the agency’s growing contribution to the state’s revenue base.

Solebo said LASCOPA also worked with government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations and scientific laboratories to strengthen product research, verification and consumer safety.

He added that the agency conducted unscheduled inspections of manufacturing facilities across the state to monitor compliance with consumer protection standards.

He said the initiatives were aimed at promoting a fair and transparent marketplace while safeguarding the interests of consumers in Lagos.