Old naira notes: LASCOPA urges public to report cases of rejection

The General Manager of Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA), Afolabi Solebo has called on members of the public to report cases of rejection of the old naira notes to the agency, saying his organisation has been involved in resolving cases bordering on acceptance and rejection of the old N500 and N1000 notes.

Solebo made the call when he led other staff of the agency in an advocacy walk within Allen Avenue and Ikeja to commemorate this year’s World Consumer Rights Day with the theme: ‘Empowering consumers through clean energy transitions.’

He said instead of creating scenes or causing public unrest that might arise from the rejection of the old currency notes, consumers and any affected persons should seek the intervention of the agency who will take up the issue and ensure its amicable resolution.

Solebo also said that the agency had resolved quite a number of cases of old naira notes’ rejection, following the official pronouncement by Governor Sanwo-Olu that the old naira notes should not be rejected in Lagos in line with the Supreme Court ruling of extending the validity of the old naira notes till December 2023.

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“Since few days ago when Governor Sanwo-Olu made the position of the state government known regarding the old currency, we have received quite a number of complaints in this regard and we swiftly addressed them. In some cases, we put calls through to some business owners who immediately complied and accepted the old currency notes.

“I can tell you that people are aware of LASCOPA and because they don’t want to be on the wrong side of the law, they have started complying with the use of the old naira notes. I plead with those who are still rejecting these old notes to desist from doing that,” Solebo said.

Speaking on the 2023 theme for the World Consumer Rights Day, Solebo said that the agency maintains a cordial relationship with the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, IKEDC and Eko Electricity Distribution Company, EKEDC, and that the organisations had been helpful in resolving some electricity-related complaints brought to the agency.

According to Solebo, LASCOPA had recovered over N29m from IKEDC and over N12m from EKEDC as credit adjustment to some consumers, just as it also recovered for Consumers on products and services N207, 077,326.59 and $30, 250.49 US dollars since the agency was established.

The general manager puts the statistics of complaints received by LASCOPA at 6,894 complaint resolved: 6,717 complaints ongoing: 67 and referrals: 110.

He urged aggrieved consumers in any part of the state to visit any of the annex offices of LASCOPA in Bariga LCDA, Badagry LGA, Ikoyi- Obalende LCDA, and Ikorodu LGA of the state or visit the agency’s headquarters in Ikeja.