President Bola Tinubu fired the heads of the consumer protection agency and the Bureau of Public Enterprises on Monday.
A presidency statement said the president had “dismissed” Babatunde Irukera, chief executive of Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) as well as Alex Okoh, director-general of the BPE.
It gave no reason for the dismissals, which came hours after the suspension of the humanitarian minister, Betta Edu.
Presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale said in a statement that the sackings were “in conformity with plans to restructure and reposition critical agencies of the Federal Government towards protecting the rights of Nigerian consumers and providing a strong basis for enhanced contributions to the nation’s economy by key growth-enabling institutions”.
“The two dismissed Chief Executives are directed to hand over to the next most senior officer in their respective agencies, pending the appointment of new Chief Executive Officers,” the statement said.
“Institutional advocate”
Mr Irukera, a lawyer from Kogi state, was first appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari as director-general of Consumer Protection Council (CPC) in April 2017 before the agency was renamed FCCPC.
He unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Kogi governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
His removal came a week after the consumer and anti-competition protection watchdog imposed a $110 million fine on the British American Tobacco (BAT), following evidence of a “pattern of undermining, and circumventing national tobacco control policies and regulations.”
While the agency recorded multiple achievements under Mr Irukera, it faced accusations of not always doing enough to protect consumers from powerful and exploitative corporate interests.
Many have cited a recent case of a tomato maker, Erisco Foods Ltd., going after a customer who gave a negative review of one of its products online. The firm’s owner, Eric Umeofia, got the customer arrested and transported from Lagos to Abuja where she was held for days by the police.
When news of the arrest broke, the consumer protection commission said it summoned Erisco and had worked to get the customer released. The company and the police have continued their case against the woman, Chioma Okoli, months after, raiding her house on January 9, 2024, according to her lawyer.
Mr Irukera said he was “grateful for the opportunity to have served the incredibly vibrant & loyal Nigerian citizens/consumers.”
“They deserve a better deal. I leave behind a strong Institutional advocate in the FCCPC, & an outstanding team of soldiers who work there daily for the cause of fair markets,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
Ayoola Okoh
Alexander Ayoola Okoh was first appointed head of the BPE in 2017. His tenure was renewed on April 10, 2021 for another four years.
The BPE is the federal agency charged with the privatization and commercialization of government-owned enterprises. It serves as the secretariat of the National Council on Privatization.
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