Protecting consumer rights

  In Nigeria, there are many varieties of fake consumer goods that flood the market; it raises questions of the efficiency and effectiveness of existing standards regulations. Many people don’t know they have rights as consumers, or how to go about defending them.Weak regulations and even weaker inclination by potentially aggrieved consumers to insist on […]

  In Nigeria, there are many varieties of fake consumer goods that flood the market; it raises questions of the efficiency and effectiveness of existing standards regulations. Many people don’t know they have rights as consumers, or how to go about defending them.
Weak regulations and even weaker inclination by potentially aggrieved consumers to insist on getting their money’s worth, feed into the corporate greed that makes it possible for substandard goods and services to garner huge patronages. This portends grave danger to the economic health of the nation and the personal health of citizens.  
The occasion of the World Consumer Rights Day 2015, marked recently, should be the launching pad to a more consumer rights consciousness, in which regulators across the marketing communications industry, telecoms, manufacturing, and food and drugs industries, have key roles to play.
Beyond merely observing the day, which this year was based on Consumers’ rights to Healthy Food theme, is the need to design a framework of protesting abuses that undermine consumer protection and confidence.
Consumers International, a federation of consumer organisations across the globe, used the occasion to campaign for an international convention on food as a strategy to commit governments to a package of policy measures aimed at helping the consumers eat more healthily. Some measures being recommended include nutrition labelling, age-related restrictions on food marketing, provision of good food in schools and fiscal measures to promote healthier diets.
According to the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), consumers generally do not report to appropriate authorities, patronize fake products and generally shield their producers from statutory sanctions. SON officials said that consumers’ failure to lodge complains often render the agency helpless. SON also cited cases of fraudulent labelling, which most consumers fail to read or confirm the authenticity before buying products, especially imported electronic goods. Some power generators, for instance, factory-rated at 100kva are spuriously labelled to be of 240kva capacity.
 Some pharmacies are known to leave drugs and medicines on their shelves long after they have expired and sold to uncritical buyers.
The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) should be up and doing; despite reports of consumers being short-changed, not much is being seen or heard of the council addressing consumer complaints. The CPC should also hold consumer awareness workshops and webinars and seminars to enlighten consumers of what to look for in purchasing products and where to raise the alarm if need be.
The CPC should also be proactive by despatching its compliance officers to monitor open markets, shops, etc, as part of its consumer protection activities.  It is important that the CPC advertises its presence in states and local government areas across the country.  
The duties and jurisdictions of National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and SON should be streamlined so that the ultimate goal of consumer protection is achieved and enhanced.
This streamlining is necessary given that there are many food types, drinks, drugs, among others that are sold everywhere in the country. These include hawking of unorthodox medicines like herbal mixtures at worship places and motor parks, where unsuspecting members of the public are lured into buying so-called wonder cure concoctions that may prove harmful, even fatal.
 Regulations for all consumer goods and services should be tightened; those who flout them should be made to pay. Only then would the symbolic crown placed on the head of the consumer have any meaning.