The Nigerian presidency has announced the ousting of the Chief Executive Officers of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Mr. Babatunde Irukera, and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alexander Ayoola Okoh.
A press release by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, dated January 8, 2024, said the sackings was in conformity with plans to restructure and reposition critical agencies of the Federal Government towards protecting the rights of Nigerian consumers and providing a strong basis for enhanced contributions to the nation’s economy by key growth-enabling institutions.
The two dismissed Chief Executives, the statement said, are directed to hand over to the next most senior officer in their respective agencies, pending the appointment of new Chief Executive Officers.
“By this directive of the President, their removal from office takes immediate effect,” it concluded.
Barr. Babatunde Irukera has however defended his time at FCCPC, saying he left a strong and impeccable legacy.
He made this known through the social media platform, X, formerly Twitter.
He wrote: “Grateful for the opportunity to have served the incredibly vibrant and loyal Nigerian citizens/consumers. They deserve a better deal. I leave behind a strong institutional advocate in the FCCPC and an outstanding team of soldiers who work there daily for the cause of fair markets.”
A staff of the FCCPC who spoke with Humsimedia Online said that the Commission would greatly miss the caliber of leader that Babatunde Irukera had been, his transparency and what he achieved within the given time.
The FCCPC staff said that Irukera took bold and daring steps, made far-reaching decisions and achieved much in the Commission’s mandate to protect the consuming public from unfair practices.
Irukera’s ability to bring to their knees, the otherwise powerful local and international companies infringing on consumer rights and make them accountable was seen as a feat never achieved before him at the FCCPC.
At a strategic media engagement in Abuja in December, Babatunde Irukera enlightened his audience on how at the helm of affairs in the FCCPC, he had turned around the fortunes of the the Commission from dependent on government subvention to a self funding Agency.
In the Year 2023, the FCCPC generated over N56 billion, where 90 percent of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) was obtained through payment of penalties by defaulting companies in the country. He said that the FCCPC remitted N22.4billion to the federal government.
This is what the EVC said concerning revenue generation and enforcement in the Commission: “In 2023, our internally generated revenue is already N56bn and we have remitted to the government N22.4 billion and for me what this demonstrates is the real possibility for our country. Our possibilities are absolutely limitless.
“We don’t approve a single product, we don’t take fees for registration of anything nor support or sponsorship from companies. “All our revenue, at least 90 percent is from penalties. We believe that the market should be unlocked and business should be allowed to operate well and should thrive.
“But we also believe in consequence and businesses must be held accountable, if we don’t hold people accountable, we can’t promote good behavior.
“Prior to 2017, the FCCPC had a budget of N1bn from the Federal Government, of this amount, N511 million was personal cost and salaries of 240 employees at the time.
When we started the reforms, the agency made a total Internally generated revenue of N377 million, which was unprecedented as the highest at the time
“What was released was N796 million. Our internally generated revenue was N154 million. “In 2018, the agency had a huge jump in the budget from the treasury and it got a budget of N3.3 billion and that is largest, of which N2.1 billion was released.
“By 2019, the budget of the agency went back from N3.3bn down to N1.3 billion. Out of that, 518 million was personnel cost. In that year, when we started the reforms, the agency made a total Internally generated revenue of N377 million, which was unprecedented as the highest at the time. But we were growing the agency as best as we could.”
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