The agreement, sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), was signed by FCCPC Chief Executive Officer, Tunji Bello, and LASCOPA General Manager, Afolabi Solebo, during a ceremony that underscored growing efforts to align federal and state-level consumer protection strategies.
A coordinated approach to market regulation
At the core of the agreement is a shared recognition that effective consumer protection requires closer collaboration between both agencies to ensure a more stable, transparent, and accountable marketplace for consumers and businesses in Lagos State.
The MoU establishes a framework for joint action in key areas including complaint resolution, enforcement of consumer rights, product safety oversight, and public education. Both agencies are expected to collaborate on handling consumer grievances, providing redress to affected individuals or communities, and facilitating the replacement of hazardous products where necessary.
It also provides for enhanced cooperation in consumer and business education programmes, capacity building, training initiatives, and broader compliance monitoring across regulated sectors.
Joint task force and enforcement synergy
A central feature of the agreement is the creation of a Joint Task Force (JTF), designed to coordinate, monitor, and implement enforcement actions arising from the partnership. The task force is expected to streamline intelligence sharing, improve response times to consumer complaints, and support coordinated regulatory interventions where required.
The MoU also introduces a cost- and benefit-sharing arrangement, stipulating that any fines, fees, or penalties arising from joint enforcement actions will be split equally between both agencies, unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Funding responsibilities remain independently borne, with each agency expected to finance its own participation unless mutual arrangements are reached for specific initiatives.
Lagos as a regulatory testing ground
Speaking at the signing, Bello described Lagos as a uniquely complex consumer market, given its concentration of commercial activity, digital enterprises, logistics networks, financial services, and informal trade systems. He noted that the scale and diversity of economic activity in the state make regulatory cooperation both necessary and consequential.
He emphasised that the MoU is not merely symbolic but operational in nature, designed to strengthen complaint handling mechanisms, improve market intelligence exchange, and enable coordinated enforcement actions where legally permissible.
Bello also indicated that the FCCPC is encouraging subnational governments across Nigeria to strengthen consumer protection frameworks in ways that reflect local market realities and emerging risks.
Ending regulatory silos
For LASCOPA, the partnership represents an opportunity to deepen enforcement capacity through federal collaboration. Its General Manager, Solebo, stressed that while the agency has recorded significant achievements in protecting consumers in Lagos, including resolving thousands of complaints and recovering substantial funds for residents, greater impact requires inter-agency alignment.
He acknowledged that regulatory effectiveness cannot be achieved in isolation, noting the need for stronger institutional backing from federal authorities in addressing complex consumer issues, particularly in sectors such as transportation and essential services.
Background on LASCOPA’s role
LASCOPA serves as Lagos State’s primary consumer protection authority, mandated to safeguard consumer rights, mediate disputes between businesses and customers, and ensure compliance with fair trade practices.
In recent years, the agency has intensified its enforcement activities, resolving over 11,000 consumer rights violation cases and recovering more than N860 million for residents within a five-year period. It also functions as a regulatory watchdog, addressing issues related to substandard goods, unfair business practices, and market abuse.
The new collaboration with the FCCPC is expected to further strengthen its capacity to respond to consumer complaints and enforce compliance across Lagos’s rapidly evolving economic landscape.