Lagos State consumer agency, Media, urge consumers to stand up against manipulations

Nigerian consumers have been told not  to allow themselves to be taken for granted any longer as they should wake up to their rights.

The Lagos State Consumers Protection Agency, LASCOPA and the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, AAAN made this call recently during the Brand Journalists Walk For Consumers Awareness organised by the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria, BJAN as part of activities marking the 2018 World Consumer Rights Day, with the theme ‘Making digital marketplaces fairer’.

Speaking at the headquarters of Lagos State Consumers Protection Agency, LASCOPA where the journalists terminated their march for the consumers  which they had embarked upon from the Manufactures Association of Nigeria, MAN Building in Ikeja, Lagos, the LASCOPA Board Chairman,  Funmi Falana said consumers protection is very paramount to the state government.

“Our business here is to protect the right of consumers for the products and services they get. We want to make sure that the standard of goods and services brought into this country or produced in this country commensurate with the standard they can get all over the world, that is, international standard”.

According to Falana, where anyone falls below the standard, the agency would not fail in prosecuting offenders.

Welcoming the brand journalists to the agency’s headquarters, Falana said, “We are glad to have the brand journalists with us. Basically, we understand that what you do is to report on brands and consumers issues. That is very similar to what we do. As a matter of fact, part of what we do here is to protect the rights of consumers”.

Also speaking at the event,  Kayode Oluwasona, President of Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, who also joined the journalists in the march said the AAAN decided to be part of the walk because the members believe in the cause that BJAN was pushing.

AAAN President noted that the walk was symbolic as he said;  “When you walk for, you are saying a lot of things in communication. What you are saying is that you are supporting the consumers. When you walk for the consumers, what we are saying is that we are supporting the consumers. We are standing by the consumers and we are sacrificing for the consumers.” Oluwasona said.

To  Sola Salako Ajulo, a consumer protection activist, every consumer has the right to complain and to be heard. “You have right to complain. You have the right to be heard. You have the right to consumer information so that you know how to purchase whatever you need.

While thanking  Ajulo for her support and  being a lone ranger standing with Nigerian consumers over the years, BJAN chairman,  Goddie Ofose said journalists covering the brands and marketing also see it as a duty to make sure consumers are protected and given value for their money.

DANIEL OBI