Federal High Court Stops CPC From Compulsory Registration On Companies

A Federal High Court has ruled that the Consumer Protection
Council’s (CPC) imposition of compulsory registration on Nigeria
Employers’ Consultative Association’s (NECA) member-companies’
products and services with it, is illegal, unlawful and ultra vires
the powers conferred on the Council by its enabling Act.

The CPC and its agents were also restrained from further
imposing compulsory registration on NECA’s members’ goods and
services with it and from further harassing, intimidating or
sealing-up the offices of NECA’s members on account of the
non-registration of NECA’s members’ products and services with
it.

It would be recalled that NECA, the umbrella body for Organised
Private Sector and the Voice of Business in Nigeria, had approached
the Federal High Court for interpretation on the extent of the
powers of the CPC.

This was against the backdrop of CPC’s allotment of powers to
itself through regulations beyond the provisions of the Principal
Act: Consumer Protection Council Act, 1992.

Reacting to the development, the Director-General of NECA, Mr.
Olusegun Oshinowo commended the court ruling.

According to him, “This is a vindication of the principled stand
of NECA and its members and a celebration of the rule of law”

Oshinowo further hoped that “CPC’s leadership will depart from
its past ways and manner of carrying out its activities, which is
totally at variance with democratic ethos and amounts to
duplication of regulatory roles with other agencies of government
such as National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and
Control (NAFDAC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)”.

A Federal High Court has ruled that the Consumer Protection
Council’s (CPC) imposition of compulsory registration on Nigeria
Employers’ Consultative Association’s (NECA) member-companies’
products and services with it, is illegal, unlawful and ultra vires
the powers conferred on the Council by its enabling Act.

The CPC and its agents were also restrained from further
imposing compulsory registration on NECA’s members’ goods and
services with it and from further harassing, intimidating or
sealing-up the offices of NECA’s members on account of the
non-registration of NECA’s members’ products and services with
it.

It would be recalled that NECA, the umbrella body for Organised
Private Sector and the Voice of Business in Nigeria, had approached
the Federal High Court for interpretation on the extent of the
powers of the CPC.

This was against the backdrop of CPC’s allotment of powers to
itself through regulations beyond the provisions of the Principal
Act: Consumer Protection Council Act, 1992.

Reacting to the development, the Director-General of NECA, Mr.
Olusegun Oshinowo commended the court ruling.

According to him, “This is a vindication of the principled stand
of NECA and its members and a celebration of the rule of law”

Oshinowo further hoped that “CPC’s leadership will depart from
its past ways and manner of carrying out its activities, which is
totally at variance with democratic ethos and amounts to
duplication of regulatory roles with other agencies of government
such as National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and
Control (NAFDAC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)”.