By Ginika Okoye
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has commenced training of judges on competition and consumer protection laws, to enhance clear adjudication of consumer issues.
The three-day training was organised in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI).
Speaking at the training in Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Mr Tunji Bello, stressed the need for judicial officers to be able to approach competition issues with clarity and confidence.
Bello said that competition and consumer protection law often found its practical expression in the courtroom.
He said that legal principles governing markets were tested, clarified and given authoritative interpretation in the courts.
He said that technological innovation, digital commerce, cross-border transactions and increasingly complex corporate structures continued to reshape how the markets functioned.
According to him, these developments raise new legal and economic questions relating to market dominance, restrictive agreements, price fixing, unfair trade practices and the protection of consumer rights.
Bello said that regulators and courts in the country had encountered a growing number of disputes arising from evolving market practices across several sectors of the economy.
“Many of these matters involve complex factual records, economic evidence and questions concerning the interaction between general competition law and sector-specific regulatory frameworks.
“As these cases increasingly come before the courts, judicial interpretation plays an important role in shaping the evolving jurisprudence that govern market conduct and consumer protection in Nigeria,” he said.
The Administrator of NJI, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, said that the strategic training was designed to deepen judicial understanding of the substantive principles of competition law, institutional architecture of the FCCPA, and evidentiary stance on competition litigation.
He said that the training would also expand judicial understanding of emerging issues in digital markets and financial technology.
“In recent years, the Nigerian legal landscape has witnessed significant transformation in despair of economic regulation.
“Markets have become more complex, regulatory institutions more assertive, and disputes arising from commercial activity more technical in character.
“The judiciary as the final arbiter of disputes invariably stands at the intersection of these developments,” he said.
Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), said that the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven systems was shaping competition and consumer protection dynamics and transforming markets in unprecedented ways.
According to Kekere-Ekun, while these technologies offer immense benefits, they also introduce complex risks, including data exploitation, algorithmic manipulation of consumer choices, privacy infringements and the dissemination of misleading information.
The CJN charged regulatory institutions to remain adaptive, innovative, and responsive to emerging challenges as technology continued to evolve.
“The Nigerian judiciary has consistently demonstrated its commitment to the protection of consumer rights and the preservation of market integrity through principled and well-reasoned judicial decisions.
“Nonetheless, experience from other jurisdictions suggests that the strategic development of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Online Dispute Resolution, (ODR) mechanisms can significantly enhance the efficiency of consumer protection regimes.
“These mechanisms facilitate the timely and cost-effective resolution of disputes, thereby reducing the burden on courts while improving access to justice for consumers,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three-day training attracted judges and other judicial officers from across the country. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman
