The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, has reacted to the Federal High Court judgement that struck out a suit filed by MultiChoice Nigeria Limited seeking to restrain the Commission from investigating its recent price hikes.
It should be recallthed that Multichoice had in February this year defied FCCPC’s invitation and proceeded to hike subscription rates for its DStv and GOtv services, barely eight months after a similar increase.
The cable service provider further filed an application at the Abuja Federal High Court to restrain FCCPC from investigating the rationale behind its incessant price hikes.
Ruling on the matter on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho struck out the suit.
The judge declared that MultiChoice’s suit was duplicative and improper, citing the existence of a similar matter involving the two parties in another court.
In a swift reaction, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Mr. Tunji Bello, described the ruling as an affirmation of the rule of law and a significant step towards curbing procedural tactics aimed at obstructing lawful regulatory oversight.
His reaction was contained in a statement issued by the Director, Corporate Affairs of the Commission, Ondaje Ijagwu.
“It sends a clear message that regulatory agencies will not be hindered by procedural roadblocks when exercising their lawful mandate to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in the marketplace.
“Nigerian consumers can be assured that the Commission is fully committed to investigating and addressing exploitative pricing and other anti-consumer practices, in line with the provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018,” Bello said.
