Follow Us on Google
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has accused the management of Air Peace of misleading Nigerians with false information as regards the ongoing inquiry on alleged consumer rights violations by the airline.
FCCPC said the airline is using different tactics including blackmail to distract it from the ongoing inquiry into alleged exploitative ticket pricing among other potential violations of consumers’ rights being done by the airline.
The Commission, last week, summoned leading players in the banking, telecommunications, and aviation sectors, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), MTN Nigeria, and Air Peace Nigeria, respectively, over widespread consumer complaints against them .
The Commission said the engagement with the companies was an opportunity to address consumers’ concerns, clarify business practices, and enforce compliance with regulatory standards.
Sadly, the Director, Corporate Affairs, FCCPC,
Ondaje Ijagwu, in a statement, yesterday ,registered displeasure over alleged attempts by Air Peace to discredit FCCPC’e efforts in protecting consumer rights and privileges as contained in the Section 127(1)(a) of the FCCPC Act which empowered the Commission to ensure that pricing practices across all sectors, including aviation, are fair, competitive, and non-exploitative.
He noted: “Last Thursday, the Commission had to refute a report allegedly syndicated in a section of the media which grossly misrepresented the proceedings at a meeting between its officials and Air Peace team earlier on December 3, at the Commission’s Abuja headquarters, as a follow-up to an avalanche of petitions received from passengers in recent times.
“Section 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 grants the Commission discretionary power to conduct inquiries in public or in camera, but the FCCPC chose to conduct the December 3 session in camera as a gesture of good faith to preserve the confidentiality.
“But shortly after the session ended, some leaked information appeared in the media attributing unfounded,but prejudicial statements to the Commission’s officials, categorically declaring that ‘Air Peace was not under investigation’ and copiously quoted the Air Peace’s Chairman, Mr. Allen Onyema, engaging in ostentation of self-adulation.
Other News
“Curiously, the same media leaks omitted a boastful statement by Mr. Onyema at the same engagement that he could decide to shut down the airline, ostensibly to show he was doing the nation a favour by flying.
“In a statement issued on December 5, the Commission restated that the inquiry was still ongoing, urging the public to be wary of manufactured news, since the report was not disseminated on the Commission’s official communication platforms.
“But in a dramatic turn of events, Air Peace addressed a press conference in Lagos, last Friday, where it made several outlandish claims and innuendos obviously intended to whip up sentiments, but conveniently avoided addressing the real issues.
“For instance, in asserting that only the aviation regulatory agency could inquire into its affairs, Air Peace only displayed a terribly poor understanding of both the legal and moral pillars of its operating environment. Passengers are consumers of its services. Their rights are inalienable and guaranteed under the FCCPA. It is the basis of FCCPC’s intervention.
“Pursuant to Section 148(3)(c) of the FCCPA 2018, the FCCPC, upon receipt of a consumer complaint, can direct an inspector to institute an inquiry and investigate the matter as quickly as practicable to determine whether the undertaking has acted inconsistently with the provisions of the Act.
“The inquiry into Air Peace’s pricing practices stems from allegations of unjustified fare increases on advance bookings for certain domestic routes, lack of transparency in pricing structures and practices that potentially contravene consumer rights and fair competition principles.
“Passengers have also complained that when they sought to utilise their tickets on another day after suffering untold inconveniences of flight delay or cancellation earlier, they were asked and forced to pay 50 per cent surcharge.
“These are some of the weighty issues the Commission is looking into with a view to ensuring that Nigerian passengers are not exploited unduly through price-fixing and gouging.”
The Commission, however, noted that no amount of blackmail or cowboy tactics could stop it from the ongoing thorough investigation of the allegations against Air Peace with a view to taking the appropriate action in accordance with the provisions of the FCCPA.
It reassured the public that it remains resolute in its mandate under Section 104 of the FCCPA, which establishes the Act as the principal legislation governing competition and consumer protection in Nigeria, renewing its commitment to safeguarding consumer rights, promoting market fairness, and fostering a competitive and transparent marketplace across all sectors, including aviation.
