Lagos State House of Assembly has passed a bill for a law to establish the Consumer Protection Agency and to provide for the protection of the interest of consumers into law.
The bill, which is Private Member Bill sponsored by the Speaker, Adeyemi
Ikuforiji, had since been sent to the governor for his assent.
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The bill, which scaled through the
third reading states the objectives of the agency to include the right to be
informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of
goods and services as the case may be so as to protect consumers against unfair
trade practices.
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On the functions of the agency, the
bill stipulates that the agency will ensure the replacement of hazardous
products with safe products and seek ways and means of eliminating hazardous
products from the market in conjunction with the relevant government agencies.
“The agency will publish from time to time the list of products, the consumption and sale of which have been banned, withdrawn, restricted or not approved by the appropriate Federal Government Agencies” .
“The agency will publish from time to time the list of products, the consumption and sale of which have been banned, withdrawn, restricted or not approved by the appropriate Federal Government Agencies” .
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According to section 29 of the bill
which states the enforcement of the agency, any person aggrieved by an order
made by the agency may prefer an appeal against such order to the High Court
within 30 days from the date of the order, provided that an appeal filed out of
time may be entertained if the court is satisfied there is sufficient cause for
filling out of time.
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Convicted traders liable to
compensate consumers for loss, that is if a trader is convicted of an offence
under the new law, the agency may, on behalf of an aggrieved consumer who
consents to the application, apply to the courts for an order or damage.
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