Consumer Abuse: FG Intensifies Efforts to Curb Business Impunity

The federal government has intensified efforts to check the prevalent business practice of consumer abuse with impunity, with the inauguration of the first in-house audio-visual studio at the Consumer Protection Council (CPC).


Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, who inaugurated the studio in Abuja yesterday said apart from the fact that the project would help increase consumer awareness, business operators would also learn to respect consumer rights more since it would be easier for aggrieved consumers to name and shame fraudulent operators through the various CPC studios across the zonal offices in Nigeria.

He noted that whilst 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 was resolute in its drive towards addressingcritical issues of abuses across all sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Aganga said: “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 posesentirely 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 behavioural patterns 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.”

Speaking during the event, the Director-General, CPC, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, said that 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.

She said: “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.”

Atoki added: “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 grass root areas.”

She stressed that the establishment of the in-house studio would help enhance the agency’s consumer awareness activities and also reduce media production costs.

She added: “The establishment of an in-house audio-visual studio set up by the Consumer Protection Council with the support of Ford Foundation is an initiative aimed at facilitating an aggressive consumer rights education and advocacy campaigns that will lead to increased consumer awareness and assertiveness in the marketplace. This is a very significant milestone achievement of the Consumer Protection Council.

“In view of the paucity of funds in the Council, we had to approach international donor agencies for funding support and the Ford Foundation graciously approved a proposal to support a varied consumer awareness programme, which includes the setting up of a world class in-house audio-visual studio for our media productions as the first component of the support. This project is expected to greatly reduce the cost of producing our TV and radio programmes by over 60 per cent.It will also give consumers the ample opportunity to have their views aired when necessary.”