Following court dismissal of the MultiChoice Nigeria suit challenging the Federal Government’s probe of its subscription policy, the apex government through the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has promised to carry out a thorough probe of the firm pricing policy after a recent hikes in subscription fee for DStv and GOtv.
FCCPC said that the probe is designed to protect millions of Nigerians, who subscribe to the platforms monthly, from being exploited through the firms policy.
MultiChoice had sought to restrain the commission from probing the company’s subscription increases, arguing that the FCCPC was acting beyond its powers. However, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court dismissed the suit, describing it as an abuse of court process.
The Commission stated this on Thursday while responding to the Federal High Court ruling that affirmed its legal authority to investigate MultiChoice Nigeria over recent price hikes on its platforms.
The commission’s Executive Vice Chairman, Tunji Bello, who described the court decision as one that reinforced the commission’s statutory mandate, promised thorough and transparent probe of the agency
According to the statement released by the FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, the Vice Chairman said: “This judgment marks a significant step against procedural tactics that attempt to obstruct lawful regulatory oversight. 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.”
“The commission remains committed to enforcing consumer protection laws and will continue to investigate exploitative pricing and other anti-consumer conduct under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018”.
He added that MultiChoice had declined an invitation for dialogue in February and instead implemented another round of subscription rate increases, only eight months after a previous hike. Rather than respond to the commission’s inquiries, the company filed a legal suit challenging the FCCPC’s authority to investigate.
During the proceedings, MultiChoice’s counsel, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), had argued that the commission continued to issue letters threatening sanctions despite the pending court action. The court ultimately rejected the application.
With the dismissal of the case, the FCCPC is expected to continue its investigation into MultiChoice’s pricing decisions and assess whether they constitute anti-competitive or exploitative practices.
