Our duty is to regulate, not strangulate businesses —CPC

Consumer Protection Council (CPC)  has stated that its statutory role is to ensure that the rights of the Nigerian consumers are not trampled upon by brand owners, and not to strangulate businesses.

The Director-General of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Mrs Dupe Atoki, made this declaration in Lagos, recently,  at a joint press conference, organised by the CPCl and Multichoice to  announce  the successful implementation of the customer- focused initiatives prescribed by the CPC to Multichoice Nigeria, early in the year,

The CPC boss argued that the mandate of the council was to ensure that consumer’s rights and interests were protected, noting that the agency had been working with businesses, especially MultiChoice Nigeria, of late, in achieving this.

She expressed confidence that the council’s grouse with the company had, eventually been addressed, since the basis of the disagreement had been rectified by the company.

The Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr John Ugbe, stated that in the past one year, the company had worked closely with the regulatory body to identify its customers’ areas of need, with the aim of  implementing solutions that would resonate with such customers and lead to improved customer service.

He explained that the company had resolved its issue with CPC, by addressing some of those key customer-focused initiatives such as the introduction of toll- free lines for the public to reach the call centres, which now operate longer hours during weekends and public holidays, as well as allowing customers to place their accounts on hold while they are away on holiday for a maximum of 14 days.