The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, GCON, on Tuesday assured that the Nigerian judiciary is committed to protecting consumer rights and preserving market integrity amid the fast-transforming market environment.
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Justice Kekere-Ekun made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony of a three-day Competition and Consumer Protection Law Conference held at the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Jabi, Abuja.
The training was organised by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI), themed “Addressing Legal and Adjudicatory Issues in Competition and Consumer Protection under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018.”
The CJN stated that competition and consumer protection laws are among the most dynamic and litigated fields of legal practice across jurisdictions.
“Across jurisdictions, competition and consumer protection law has rapidly evolved into one of the most dynamic and litigated fields of legal practice,” she said.
Justice Kekere-Ekun noted that contemporary developments, such as regulatory gaps in industries including fashion, travel, retail, and regulatory challenges within digital markets, as well as the rising demand for collective consumer redress, have transformed the systems.
She said such developments have important implications for the judiciary, adding that the courts might witness a substantial increase in the volume and complexity of cases arising from competition and consumer protection disputes.
The CJN highlighted that the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven systems is equally shaping competition and consumer protection dynamics and transforming markets in unprecedented ways.
“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,” she said.
Justice Kekere-Ekun charged regulatory institutions to remain adaptive, innovative, and responsive to emerging challenges as technology continues 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,” she stated.
The CJN noted that 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,” Justice Kekere-Ekun said.
The CJN described the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) as a critical institution for safeguarding Nigeria’s business environment and protecting the integrity of the marketplace.
“As the statutory authority responsible for enforcing competition and consumer protection laws, the Commission plays a vital role in safeguarding the integrity of the marketplace,” she said.
She stressed the importance of sustained engagement between regulatory institutions and the judiciary to ensure effective interpretation and enforcement of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018.
“Continuous dialogue and knowledge exchange between regulators and the judiciary are indispensable,” she added.
The Executive Vice-Chairman of FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said competition and consumer protection law often finds its practical expression in the courtroom.
“It is there that the legal principles governing markets are tested, clarified and given authoritative interpretation,” Bello said.
He emphasised the importance of equipping judicial officers well so they could approach competition issues with clarity and confidence.
Bello noted that technological innovation, digital commerce, cross-border transactions and increasingly complex corporate structures continued to reshape how markets functioned.
“The developments have raised new legal and economic questions relating to market dominance, restrictive agreements, price fixing, unfair trade practices and the protection of consumer rights,” he stated.
“The regulators and courts in the country have 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.”
The Administrator of NJI, Hon. Justice Babatunde Adejumo, a former President of the National Industrial Court, said 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 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 the sphere of economic regulation. Markets have become more complex, regulatory institutions more assertive, and disputes arising from commercial activity more technical in character,” Adejumo said.
“The judiciary as the final arbiter of disputes invariably stands at the intersection of these developments.”
The event was attended by top judicial officers, sector regulators, legal practitioners, scholars and policy experts, including Hon. Justice M. L. Shuaibu, Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Akure Division; Hon. Justice James Gambo Abundaga, Justice of the Court of Appeal, Asaba Division; Hon. Justice A. B. Mohammed, Justice of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division; Mr. Louis Odion, Executive Commissioner (Operations) of FCCPC; Moyosore Onigbanjo, former Attorney General of Lagos State; Mr. Babatunde Irukera, former Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the FCCPC; and Prof. Joseph Abugu, SAN.
The training attracted judges and other judicial officers from across the country.
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