By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has dragged MultiChoice Nigeria Limited and its Chief Executive Officer, John Ugbe to court for defying regulatory directives to suspend a subscription price hike.
This is revealed in a statement issued by FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondahe Ijagwu, on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the regulatory body filed charges against Multichoice at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Recall that earlier on February 27, the FCCPC directed MultiChoice to suspend its planned price increase for DStv and GOtv services pending the conclusion of an investigation into the hike.
However, in flagrant disregard for the directive, the company went ahead with the price adjustments on March 1, disregarding the directive.
The regulator said the charges, filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos,
Highlighting the content of the charges, FCCPC noted that they were based on three counts: obstructing the Commission’s inquiry, failing to comply with directives, and attempting to mislead the regulatory body.
Part of the statement reads, “Following the blatant disregard for regulatory oversight, the FCCPC has filed charges against MultiChoice Nigeria and John Ugbe at the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, on three counts of offences under the FCCPA 2018.
“Specifically for willfully obstructing the Commission’s inquiry by implementing a price hike contrary to directives (Section 33(4)), impeding the ongoing investigation by ignoring instructions to suspend the hike (Section 110), and attempting to mislead the Commission by proceeding with the increase without objection (Section 159(2), punishable under Section 159(4)(a) and (b)).”
The Commission described MultiChoice’s actions as a deliberate attempt to undermine regulatory authority, disrupt market fairness, and deny Nigerian consumers the protection guaranteed under the law.
“By disregarding the FCCPC’s directive and implementing the price hike before appearing before the Commission’s investigative hearing on March 6, 2025, MultiChoice has not only flouted regulatory processes but also demonstrated a pattern of conduct that undermines consumer rights and fair competition,” the statement added.
In addition to the legal action, the FCCPC said it is considering further enforcement measures, including sanctions and regulatory interventions, to ensure compliance and accountability.
MultiChoice had earlier informed customers of the impending price review, set to take effect on March 1, 2025, attributing the adjustment to rising costs of delivering premium content.
According to the notice titled “Price Adjustments for DStv and GOtv Packages,” the company said, “Dear Customer, please note that effective March 1, 2025, there will be a price adjustment on all DStv packages. This is to enable us to continue offering our customers world-class homegrown and international content, delivered through the best technology.”
While the Compact Plus and Premium bouquets will remain at N30,000 and N44,500, respectively, the DStv Compact package is among the subscriptions expected to be affected by the price increase.
