By Sodiq Adelakun
The Lagos State Government has taken swift action to seal Blessed Happy Homes Superstore located at 6th Avenue, 13th Road, FESTAC Town, for violating health and safety regulations by selling expired Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).
The closure was executed by the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) as part of its ongoing efforts to safeguard consumers from hazardous products.
The announcement came from the Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, who disclosed the action in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
According to Wahab, LASCOPA’s inspection team uncovered a disturbing number of expired products on the store’s shelves, including baby food items that had been past their expiration date since 2023.
“The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (@lasgcopa) seals Blessed Happy Homes Superstore at 6th Avenue, 13th Road, Festac Town, for selling expired products, violating health and safety regulations, putting customers at risk, and engaging in practices that compromise consumer well-being,” Wahab’s post read.
The video accompanying the post showed LASCOPA officials marking the superstore with red spray paint, signaling its immediate closure.
The General Manager of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo gave a detailed account of the agency’s inspection on November 22, 2024. Solebo explained that the expired goods included items that posed significant health risks to consumers.
“We discovered numerous expired products on the store’s shelves, including baby food items that had expired as far back as 2023.
“This was a serious violation of consumer safety laws, and we had no choice but to act quickly to prevent further harm to the public,” Solebo said.
Despite several attempts to engage the supermarket’s management for clarification, Solebo revealed that the management failed to respond to LASCOPA’s summons.
“The management was invited to LASCOPA’s office for clarification but chose not to respond to our invitation,” he added.
Solebo further confirmed that the supermarket’s owner would face legal consequences for breaching consumer protection laws.
The agency has also promised continued vigilance and enforcement to ensure that such violations do not recur.
“We will continue to monitor businesses closely, and anyone caught violating consumer rights will face the full wrath of the law.
“We encourage all Lagos residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious products they encounter,” she advised.