FG Moves to Check Impunity of Dubious Businesses over Consumer Rights
Yemi Akinsuyi The federal government has said it would introduce more measures to increase consumer awareness and check the impunity by dubious business operators over the rights of consumers.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, stated this during the inauguration of the Consumer Protection Council’s (CPC) inhouse Audio-Visual Studio, in Abuja, yesterday.
The minister noted that while the advent of industries in new areas like telecommunications, information technology and online sales had brought new challenges for consumers as regards getting full value for their money, the current management of CPC is, however, resolute in its drive towards addressing all issues concerning consumer rights abuses in all sectors of the Nigerian economy.
“The Nigerian market, like all other markets in the world, is not perfect. I am aware that consumers contend on a daily basis with issues arising from sharp practices of dubious businesses and the abuse of consumer rights by producers and service providers. The advent of industries in new areas like telecommunication, information technology and online sales pose entirely new concerns for consumers.
“Economies are dynamic, and when they grow and add new sectors and technologies like we have seen in the last couple of years, the need for change in people’s behaviour becomes imperative. This underscores the important role of CPC in enforcing compliance of businesses with consumer protection laws and educating consumers to be assertive in the marketplace.
“It is therefore, gratifying that the current administration in CPC is resolute in its determination to drastically increase the level of consumer awareness in the country and check the impunity of businesses,” he said.
Speaking during the event, the Director General, CPC, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, said consumer education was a core mandate of the council, adding that the CPC had already developed innovative awareness strategies towards addressing the problem of consumer ignorance and apathy.
“On assumption of duty, two years ago, I conducted a base line survey on consumer rights awareness in Nigeria, which revealed that consumers in Nigeria were largely unaware of their rights and where to seek redress. The need to increase the Council’s visibility and impact through an aggressive consumer rights education and advocacy campaigns became my top priority.
“Consumer education is a core mandate of the Council and a key deliverable of consumer protection. An informed consumer is the best protector of his or her rights. He or she is more proactive, assertive and confident to demand redress for any violations.
“Conversely, consumer ignorance and apathy contributes to poor service delivery, substandard production and impunity among businesses. To address the low consumer awareness, a number of strategies were developed on how to increase consumer rights education and advocacy through a variety of media platforms, with particular emphasis on the radio, television and social media, due to their vast reach both in the urban and grassroots areas.”
Atoki stressed that the establishment of the in-house studio would help enhance the agency’s consumer awareness activities and reduce its media production costs.