Lawyers in media task members on Nigeria’s regulatory framework

The chairperson of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Lawyers in the Media Forum (LIM), Ms. Theodora Kio-Lawson has enjoined their members to work together with consumer protection agency to reform Nigeria’s regulatory framework.

According to her, the challenges of consumer protection are enormous, ranging from the Nigeria Broadcast Commission (NBC) Policy on Cable TV and the abuse of consumers rights, unsatisfactory customer services across sectors including banking, telecommunications, manufacturing, aviation and others.

Kio-Lawson, who stated this in her welcome address at the LIM quarterly roundtable held in Edo state, said members of the LIM partner with the bar, the bench and other legal institutions to engage stakeholders, policy makers, regulators and the government with the hope of directly or indirectly influencing policy changes for the development of society.

Her words: “LIM programmes are geared towards law and economical development, with the media as a viable tool and this roundtable attempts to expose critical issues and regulatory challenges in the reform of the manufacturing and aviation sectors, competition in sectors, guidelines, safeguards, rights and interests in consumer protection, the role of the media as well as the limitations of the Consumer Protection Act.”

The theme of the roundtable, she noted, is Consumer Protection and Economic Development, the need for Media intervention while the sub-themes include, best practices for the implementation of consumer-protection policies and regulation in a converging environment.

Others include Regulation and Legislation in the Manufacturing Industry: Ensuring Fair Trade and Consumer Protection, and ‘Consumer Rights and Sustainable Air Services: Policy Reform In The Aviation Sector’.

Distinguished faculty of knowledgeable speakers and panelists addressed all the topics. According to her, Lawyers in the Media Forum is set to make an impact and bring about change in Nigeria.