Arguably, safeguarding the right of the citizenry against substandard products is the primary motive behind the government’s establishment of standards’ control agencies.

The government’s action is, perhaps, informed by media reports indicating that the production of substandard products have led to the deprivation of the consumer’s rights and the death of several persons.

Rights activists also argue that consumer rights are important aspects of human rights, which are aimed at protecting the people’s right to have access to quality goods and services.

They say that the public awareness of consumer rights will invariably save consumers from aberrations such as outright deception, unfair trade practices and deceptive advertising, among others.

It is, therefore, not surprising when the former Director-General of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Mrs Ifeyinwa Umenyi, described consumers as a fundamental part of the nation’s body polity and economy.

Apparently aware of such viewpoints, the Federal Government has been resolute in its decision to protect Nigerian consumers from substandard products and services.

As part of efforts to protect Nigerian consumers from inferior goods and services, the Federal Government established the CPC in 1992 and empowered it to look after the interests of consumers.

The CPC, which commenced operations in 1999, has since been striving to fulfil the mandate via varying strategies.

For instance, the council’s officials recently carried out several market raids, routine market inspections, goods’ confiscation, while prosecuting marketers of some substandard wares; all in an effort to uphold the consumers’ rights.

The high-point of the exercise, which took place late last year, was the confiscation of some sub-standard medical equipment hidden in a residential area in Karu, FCT.

Speaking on that particular raid, Umenyi said that the council officials seized solo-shot syringes packed in 310 cartons that had been exposed to sun, rain, dust and other participles.

She said that the purity of the products, which were largely used at the primary health care level for immunisation, was seriously in doubt.

In one of her final engagements before she left the council, Umenyi urged consumers to be vigilant when making purchases, adding that they should always report the circulation of suspicious products to the council.

Besides, Mr Sham Kolo, CPC’s Head of Surveillance and Enforcement, said that a bakery was sealed for using fake labels.

He added that the bakery also operated under unhygienic conditions.

“The environment is too dirty for such business and they are using two labels and packages, which belong to other popular brands, to sell their products.

“They are giving misleading information to the public and from our surveillance; we discovered that most of their products go to schools,’’ he said.

During the same exercise, the council also sealed the a bakery in Dutse-Alhaji, a suburb of Abuja, and an NNPC franchise outlet at Jiwa, near Deidei, in the FCT for alleged inappropriate transactions.

Kolo alleged that the fuel station usually dispensed 17.8 litres of fuel anytime a customer bought 20 litres of fuel, adding that its customers were thereby shortchanged.

He claimed that the only fuel pump at the station that was somewhat normal was not used in selling fuel to customers.

However, the station’s Manager, Mr Sam Odo, claimed that he was not aware of the development.

“We have an engineer who sets the pump; so, I don’t know anything about it,’’ he said.

A taxi-driver, Mr Sunday Okafor, said that although he bought petrol at the station on a daily basis, he never noticed the alleged aberration.

As part of efforts to create public awareness and educate the public on how to detect inappropriate transactions, the CPC recently launched the Products and Services Listing and Monitoring Programme (ProServe) to check the prevalence of substandard products and services.

Speaking at the programme’s inauguration in Abuja, Umenyi said that the absence of a databank for products and services was being exploited by some dubious businessmen.

She said that ProServe was designed to protect consumers, while ensuring that they were well-informed about the various products available to them.

Umenyi said that this had become necessary because manufacturers and service providers were more concerned about their commercial messages rather than the education of consumers.

“ProServe is, therefore, designed to introduce a listing regime that will require all genuine manufacturers and certified service providers in all sectors of the economy to enlist their products and services for proper monitoring,’’ she said.

Applauding the initiative, the First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, said that ProServe was a quality-control mechanism designed to eliminate counterfeiting by some “get-rich-quick’’ businessmen.

Represented by Mrs Zainab Maina, the Minister of Women Affairs, Jonathan noted that any infringement on the rights of consumers would affect the general welfare of Nigerians and the economy.

“Consumers should also ensure that the products and services they purchase are listed with ProServe,’’ she said.

Commending the council’s effort, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), said that countries which wanted their products to compete in the global market must necessarily measure up to the set standards.

The SGS, who was represented by Dr Henry Akpan, the Permanent Secretary, Office of the SGF, said that ProServe was a laudable project, as it dealt with information on goods and services.

Anyim noted that the Federal Government was worried about the influx of substandard products into the Nigerian market and was eager to check the situation.

Sharing similar sentiments, Dr Olusegun Aganga, the Minister of Trade and Investment, said that the programme would instill consumers’ confidence in local goods.

The minister stressed that such confidence would boost the citizens’ patronage of local products, while creating jobs.

Besides, consumers deserved to have access to the necessary information about the products they were buying, he added.

As part of strategies put in place to protect consumers’ rights, the council has also urged operators of supermarkets to establish complaints redress desks in their shops to handle customers’ grievances.

Nevertheless, observers are of the view that the council is not proactive enough in its crusade against substandard products and services in the country.

They urge the new Director-General of the CPC, Mr Emmanuel Amlai, to initiate a sustained enlightenment of consumers so as to enable them to identify substandard products on time.

Chijioke Okoronkwo, is of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Chijioke Okoronkwo