Vice President Kashim Shettima on Saturday admitted he ordered the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to immediately reopen Sahad Store, a supermarket owned by his friend, Ibrahim Mijinyawa, after it was shut down for violating pricing regulations.

At the commissioning of Sahad Hospitals in Abuja on Saturday, Mr Shettima confessed to obstructing FCCPC’s investigations by contacting the commission’s head to reopen Mr Mijinyawa’s supermarket shut for customer extortion and lack of transparency in price fixing.

“When the FCCPC locked up his store, I had to call the head of the agency to say, ‘Please, reopen the store before you come and tell me what happened,” Mr Shettima said. “I did so because I know how helpful Sahad Stores is to many Nigerians.”

He added, “He (Alhaji Mijinyawa) is a very good man. He has used his business to touch many lives. If he were a selfish man, he would have kept his money to himself, his children, and grandchildren alone because he has enough to take care of himself till he leaves this world.”

In February, the FCCPC shut down Sahad Stores when its investigations showed that the supermarket was violating the law on pricing amid soaring food prices.

“The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) conducted an on-the-spot check on Sahad Stores in Abuja on February 16, 2024, leading to the temporary closure of the store due to continued violations involving misleading pricing and lack of transparency,” the commission said in a press release.

It added, “Earlier, on January 8, 2024, the FCCPC investigated Sahad Stores following reports of misleading pricing practices. The investigation revealed that Sahad Stores displayed lower prices on shelves and charged higher prices at checkout, contravening Section 115 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018.”

According to the FCCPC, a summons was issued to Sahad Stores’ staff to appear on February 12, 2024, to discuss corrective measures. The staff’s failure to attend without justification raised concerns about potential violations under section 33(3) of the FCCPA.

Meanwhile, the acting executive vice chairman of FCCPC, Adamu Abdullahi, had said in a statement on February 17 that the reopening of the supermarket followed a mutual understanding and commitment from the store to implement transparent pricing practices.

Mr Shettima’s comments give insight into how connections between Nigerian business owners and political figures can lead to legal exemptions and the evasion of accountability.