Court Says FCCPC Can Regulate Telecoms Sector

A Federal High Court in Lagos has declared that the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s regulatory authorities extend to the telecommunications sector.

The Court reaffirmed FCCPC’s authority to regulate competition and consumer protection across all sectors, including telecommunications.

This was disclosed in a press release by Ondaje Ijagwu, FCCPC’s director of corporate affairs, over the weekend.

Ijagwu stated that Justice F.N. Ogazi gave the verdict in a case that was filed by Emeka Nnubia, a shareholder of MTN Nigeria and a legal practitioner.

In the suit, Nnubia wanted the court to stop the FCCPC from investigating MTN Nigeria on the ground that the Nigerian Communications Commission was the sole regulator of the telecom sector.

But the judge maintained that the law gives the FCCPC the power to regulate competition and consumer protection across all sectors, including telecommunications. The court said that the NCC does not have exclusive control over competition regulation in telecoms, stressing that both the FCCPC and the NCC are both regulators.