Hon. Sola Salako-Ajulo, Founder, Consumer Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria (CAFON), has made a compelling case for the adoption of artificial intelligence as a practical tool for strengthening consumer confidence in Nigeria, arguing that the country’s consumer protection challenge is not a legislative problem but an awareness and enforcement problem.

She spoke at the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) conference held in Ososa, Ogun State, to mark World Consumer Rights Day 2026, themed “Safe Products, Confident Consumers.”

Her presentation, titled “Using AI to Improve Consumer Confidence,” drew on real consumer experiences and the limitations of existing systems to make the argument that technology must now play a central role in bridging the gap between the rights Nigerians have on paper and the protection they actually experience in the marketplace.

She painted a frank picture of where the average Nigerian consumer stands today. “Many Nigerian consumers feel confused about their rights, helpless when businesses ignore complaints, intimidated by large companies and unsure where to seek help. The result is low consumer confidence in the marketplace.”

She described consumer confidence as the oxygen of markets, noting that when consumers trust the system they spend more, participate in the economy, embrace innovation and drive business growth. When trust is low, she warned, markets weaken.

Salako-Ajulo explained where the root of the problem lies. “Nigeria actually has strong consumer protection laws,” she said, referencing the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 as evidence. “The real problem is that consumers do not know their rights. And even when they do, they do not know how to enforce them.” She described consumer protection information in Nigeria as scattered, legalistic, hard to interpret and difficult to access quickly, noting that most consumers only learn their rights after they have already been exploited.

It was against this backdrop that she introduced CAFON’s response to the challenge the 3C, or CAFON Consumer Companion which she described as Nigeria’s first free AI consumer rights guide.

“3C is designed to help Nigerian consumers understand their rights and provide guidance on what steps to take when facing consumer issues in the marketplace,” she explained. The tool is designed to assist consumers at every stage of a transaction, whether before a purchase, during a transaction or after something goes wrong, helping users understand their options, draft complaints to businesses, identify possible legal violations and escalate issues when necessary.

To illustrate the tool’s real-world impact, Salako-Ajulo shared a case that drew visible reaction from her audience. A consumer purchased a pair of slippers from a shop. Within four hours the heel broke. The store refused a refund, citing company policy. Using 3C, the consumer was able to reference the relevant provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 and sent a simple message to the business citing the law.

“The refund was issued within 15 minutes,” she said. It was a moment that demonstrated precisely the gap 3C is designed to close the distance between a consumer knowing they have been wronged and knowing exactly what to do about it.

Salako-Ajulo also spoke directly to the journalists in the room about how AI tools can strengthen their work. She noted that journalists can use AI to verify consumer rights claims, investigate unfair business practices, educate the public about their rights and strengthen accountability in the marketplace. “The media can become a stronger watchdog for consumers,” she said, positioning AI not as a threat to journalism but as an amplifier of its most important functions.

She “The future of consumer protection is not only regulation. It is information empowerment. Artificial intelligence can help bridge the gap between consumer rights on paper and consumer rights in practice,” she said.

Her call to action brought together every stakeholder in the room under a shared responsibility. “Together, regulators, media and civil society can build a marketplace where consumers are informed, businesses are accountable and trust in the system grows.”

She ended with a line that captured the entire thrust of her argument in a single sentence: “An informed consumer is the strongest regulator in the market.”