ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF CONSUMER PROTECTION AGENCIES ON PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY: EVIDENCE FROM KOGI STATE AND THE FCT

In commercial transactions and service delivery, the consumers are the vulnerable party and most often treated with no due regards to their rights of quality goods and services. This research explores the role of a consumer protection agency, specifically the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) in the protection of consumers of public service delivery. Public service delivery are services rendered by government agencies or private monopolies regulated by government especially now in the era of privatization. Public Service delivery in Nigeria has been known to be shoddy, inefficient and ineffective leaving consumers distraught and helpless. The FCCPC is a consumer protection agency. The research investigates whether its protection extends to consumers of public service delivery. The objectives of the study are to appraise whether the FCCPC effectively uses its mandate to protect consumers of public service delivery and to examine the structures of redress and the challenges if any. From the findings, the FCCPC provides a redress mechanism that is available to aggrieved consumers of public service delivery. The challenges are the lack of awareness on the part of aggrieved consumers on the channels of redress and the inability of the FCCPC to enforce the redress resolutions against the concerned agency of government. The methodology employed was both doctrinal and non-doctrinal. Advocating for a more robust FCCPC legislation that protects all consumers of public service delivery and not just public service delivery engaged in commercial activities