Dear Governor: An open letter from Kano

Dear Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as a concerned citizen and healthcare professional from Kano State, I feel a responsibility to write to you on this matter.  It is indeed part of the oath I took to sustain my respect for human life at all stages and also to abstain from whatever may be deleterious to […]

Dear Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as a concerned citizen and healthcare professional from Kano State, I feel a responsibility to write to you on this matter.  It is indeed part of the oath I took to sustain my respect for human life at all stages and also to abstain from whatever may be deleterious to their health. It is in this light that I am obliged to write this piece because it will directly or indirectly save my conscience. Two chapters of the Nigerian Constitution are particularly relevant to consumer protection, namely, Chapters II and IV dealing with fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy and fundamental rights.
The Consumer Protection Council Act, enacted in 1992 by the Federal Government is the first consumer protection law that specifically deals with the practical enforcement of consumer rights. The functions of the council as conferred by Section 2 of the Act includes, among many others, to:
i. Seek ways and means of removing or eliminating from the market hazardous products and causing offenders to replace such products with safer and more appropriate alternatives.
ii. Publish, from time to time, the list of products the consumption and sale of which have been banned, withdrawn, severally restricted or not approved by the Federal Government or foreign governments.
iii. Cause an offending company, firm, trade, association or individual to protect, compensate, and provide relief and safeguards to injured consumers or communities from adverse effects of technologies that are inherently harmful, injurious, violent or highly hazardous.
iv. Organize and undertake campaigns and other forms of activities as will lead to increased public consumer awareness.
v. Encourage trade, industry and professional associations to develop and enforce in their various fields quality standards designed to safeguard the interest of consumers.
vi. Issue guidelines to manufacturers, importers, dealers and wholesalers in relation to their obligations under the Act.
vii. Ensure that consumers’ interests receive due consideration at appropriate forums and provide redress for obnoxious practices or the unscrupulous exploitation of consumers by companies, firms, trade, associations or individuals.
viii. Encourage the adoption of appropriate measures to ensure that products are safe for either intended or normally safe use.
Among the cardinal principles for the establishment of the Kano State Consumer Protection Council in 2013, is to comply with the provisions of the Federal Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and also to safeguard the people against substandard and fake products, as well as ensure that people get value for money.
Some of the recent achievements of the state consumer protection council are the confiscation of illicit and fake drugs, across the state, deserving nothing but commendation. Similar achievement was recorded recently by your administration in collaboration with the NDLEA and other relevant agencies in September, 2015. But recent happenings in the state CPC is worrisome, and the people at the receiving end are the consumers. Therefore, your immediate intervention is needed. An item called Olivary Gum was confiscated by the joint operation between the Kano CPC and the state’s Taskforce Committee on Counterfeit and Fake Drugs on 21st of May 2015. The product has no manufacturer’s name or address, NAFDAC number and above all, is expiring in January 2016.
There is a lot of pressure from some ministries in the state to effect the release of this product which has led to some misunderstanding between these ministries and the leadership of the Kano State CPC. It will be unfortunate to cause the release of a product whose safety of usage is not guaranteed. The state leadership of NDLEA, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) representatives in Kano and the federal taskforce from NAFDAC are all in the picture of the present situation. It is on this note that I wish to appeal to you, Your Excellency, to intervene in the situation in the interest of innocent lives, and to please appoint a substantive Executive Secretary for the Kano State CPC. 
Mohammed writes from Kano.