“Today’s event is significant because it reflects a shared commitment to improving the daily experience of consumers and strengthening fair business conduct through practical institutional cooperation,” Bello said.
As markets grow more complex, consumer complaints have also become far more intricate, often spanning several sectors and crossing different jurisdictions at once.
“This reality requires regulators to be coordinated, responsive, and forward-looking. That is why this partnership matters,” he added.
Bello reminded stakeholders that the FCCPC, established by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 2018, continues to drive competition, safeguard consumers and uphold fair market conduct through enforcement, market surveillance, complaint handling, advocacy and public education.
He noted that genuine protection cannot be managed from Abuja alone, because many issues arise locally and need fast, on-the-ground action.
“State institutions are therefore indispensable partners in building a credible and accessible consumer protection framework across the federation,” he said.
Lagos holds a special place as Nigeria’s biggest commercial powerhouse, home to a huge population of consumers, businesses, digital companies, logistics networks, financial players and service providers.
Bello, who once served in Lagos State, said he fully understands the scale and complexity of running affairs there and believes public institutions must keep evolving to match changing realities.
He also pointed to the FCCPC’s South-West Zonal Office in Lagos as a ready-made operational hub that will support hands-on collaboration between the two agencies.
The partnership will focus on joint complaint handling, intelligence sharing, consumer education drives and coordinated interventions wherever necessary.
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