By BONIFACE AKARAH

The President and Executive Director of the Institute for Consumer Rights and Product Liability Protection (ICRP), Dr. Chidi Ike, has warned that weak enforcement of consumer protection laws continues to expose Nigerian consumers to exploitation, unsafe products and unfair market practices.

Speaking in his welcome address on Monday at an event marking World Consumer Rights Day 2026 in Lagos, Ike said Nigeria has made legislative progress in protecting consumers but enforcement challenges still undermine the effectiveness of existing laws.

The event, organised by ICRP at the SME Hub Gbagada Lagos, was held under the theme “Enforcement: Consumer rights are not suggestions.”

Ike noted that March 15 is globally recognised as World Consumer Rights Day, a tradition that began in 1983 in honour of former United States President John F. Kennedy, who first articulated key consumer rights in a landmark address in 1962.

According to him, the foundational rights include the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose and the right to be heard, all of which were later expanded by the global consumer advocacy body Consumers International to include additional protections for citizens.

“These rights were expanded to include the right to the satisfaction of basic needs, the right to redress, the right to consumer education and the right to a healthy environment,” Ike said.

He explained that the adoption of the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection in 2015 significantly reshaped global thinking about consumer rights by recognising them as legitimate needs that governments must safeguard.

The revised guidelines, developed with support from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), also introduced protections related to digital privacy, financial services and e-commerce.

Ike said the guidelines marked a major shift from the traditional “buyer beware” principle that previously placed the burden solely on consumers.

“Consumer issues were historically treated as private contract matters under the principle of caveat emptor. The 2015 guidelines marked a bold shift by recognising consumer protection as a social justice issue that requires state responsibility,” he said.

He recalled that Nigeria established the Consumer Protection Council in 1992 following the earlier UN guidelines, but the agency faced criticism over its limited effectiveness in protecting consumers.

The council was eventually replaced by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, which introduced stronger enforcement powers and criminal liability for severe violations by producers.

While acknowledging improvements under the new legal framework, Ike said enforcement challenges remain widespread.

“Despite the existence of the Act and the vast powers granted to the commission, we still see digital lending abuses, arbitrary price hikes and the persistence of substandard goods in the market,” he said.

To address the problem, Ike called for the establishment of specialised consumer small claims courts across the country to enable citizens resolve disputes quickly and without complex legal procedures.

“We need a remedial system where a consumer can walk into a room, present a claim without heavy technicalities, and have the matter resolved within 30 days,” he said.

He added that stronger enforcement mechanisms are necessary to restore confidence and dignity to consumers in Nigeria.

“Together, we can restore dignity to the Nigerian consumer in every transaction,” Ike said.