FCCPC Secures N10bn For Customers Over Complaints Against Banks, Others – Independent Newspaper Nigeria

FCCPC Secures N10bn For Customers Over Complaints Against Banks, Others – Independent Newspaper Nigeria


The Federal Competition and Consum­er Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Thursday said it recovered N10 billion for customers following their complaints against banks, fintechs, and others in six months.

The data, covering cases lodged with the commission between March and August, 2025, compiled from the commis­sion’s complaint resolution platforms, provide insight into the patterns and prevalence of consumer dissatisfaction across 30 sectors.

A statement issued by Ondaje Ijag­wu, Director, Corporate Affairs, FCCPC, explained that the top ten sectors by number of complaints received between March and August 2025, were led by banking (3,173 complaints), followed by Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FCMG) (1,543); fintechs (1,442), and electricity (458).

Other notable sectors included e-com­merce (412), telecommunications (409), retail/wholesale/shopping (329), aviation (243), information technology (131), and road transport and logistics (114).

According to Ijagwu, “This data cov­ers consumer grievances ranging from unfair charges, service failure, unautho­rised deductions, deceptive marketing, poor disclosure of terms, product defects, and failure to provide redress within acceptable timelines.

“The total number of com­plaints resolved during the re­porting period was 9091, while total recoveries for consumers exceeded N10 billion, reflecting both the scale of harm experi­enced and the significant finan­cial burden borne by consumers in the absence of effective redress.

“The publication of sector-spe­cific complaint data aligns with the commission’s mandate un­der Sections 17(a), 17(j) of the FCCPA 2018, which empower it to enforce consumer protection laws and make information on its functions available to the public.”

Reacting to the findings, the Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Mr. Tunji Bello, said: “These numbers are not just statistics; they tell the story of consumer frustration, and the daily challenges Nigerians face in essential services.

“However, the FCCPC is determined to hold businesses accountable, ensure compliance with the FCCPA, and promote fair market practices that protect the welfare of all consumers.”

Ijagwu said banking is the dominant source of consumer complaints, both in volume and financial exposure, highlight­ing recurring issues in loan de­ductions, account charges, and transaction disputes, and reflect­ing public reliance on the FCCPC to intervene in systemic financial service challenges.

“Banking and fintech domi­nate by financial impact, showing consumer vulnerability where services are both essential and high value, signalling an urgent need for stronger joint regulation with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“With 458 reported complaints, the electricity sector ranks 4th overall, behind banking, financial services, and FCMG, highlighting persistent billing disputes, service delivery failures, and the need for stronger coordination between the FCCPC, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), state electricity regulatory agen­cies and electricity distribution companies (DisCos).

“E-commerce disputes are relatively low-value but high-fre­quency, signalling broad consum­er exposure at the retail level.

“While average monetary loss­es per complaint are low, the vol­ume and recurrence of disputes (deliveries, refunds, counterfeit goods) reveal e-commerce as a growing consumer pain point.

“Interestingly, report of the high incidence of disputes linked to digital lending, investment schemes, and microfinance ser­vices coincides with the unveiling of a new regulation by FCCPC to curb abuses in the digital lending sector.

“The commission is intensi­fying monitoring, enforcement, and collaboration with sector regulators to address these concerns. Focus is on financial and utility services, where re­curring patterns of consumer exploitation require corrective action.

“The commission encourages regulated entities to study these data trends and strengthen in­ternal mechanisms for handling consumer complaints, ensuring that issues are addressed prompt­ly and equitably.

“Consumers are encouraged to continue reporting violations through the FCCPC complaint portal: complaints.fccpc,gov.ng, or FCCPC zonal and state offices.

“Every report assists the com­mission in identifying systemic issues and enforcing compli­ance,” he explained.

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Source: Independent

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