PR professionals call for consumers’ rights education

Public Relations professionals have called on Consumer Protection Council (CPC) to educate consumers on their rights as this is key to consumer protection in the country.

They say the level of development and growth of any country has to do with the way the citizens are treated and perceived.

Speaking at the second Nigerian Institute of Public Relations Stakeholders’ Conference at the University of Lagos, Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, HOD, Mass Communication Department, at the university, says the call for the enlightenment of consumers is a clarion call to all the regulators in Nigeria, as this will go a long way to reducing the abuse and disregard of the rights of consumers.

She explains that beyond educating the consumers, the CPC should also hold marketers accountable for the breach of consumers’ rights.

During his keynote address, Ralph Akinfeleye, a professor of mass communication, says the theme of the event, ‘The Nigerian Consumer-Rights, Duties and Obligations,’ is useful and timely, especially now when the rights of consumers are constantly been abused because many are not aware of their rights as stated in Section 31 of the Consumer Protection Act.

Akinfeleye, who notes some of the rights of consumers to be right to information, consumer education, healthy environment, consumer representation, choice, safety, satisfaction and redress, says these rights are hardly adhered to in various organisations today.

He further explains that organisations and companies ranging from the aviation, PHCN, Police stations, supermarkets, banks, hotels and hospitals, among others, often violate the rights of consumers as stated in the Act with regards to the kind of products and services they offer.

“It is easy to recover the loss of money but not reputation. Your reputation should be protected. Public relations personnel should let service providers understand the rights of our consumers,” he adds.

Rotimi Oladele, president/chairman, Governing Council, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, says consumer right protection is gradually eroding the service sector and public relations professionals are needed to manage the young ones coming up so that the damage already done can be corrected.

“We must all be strengthened to drive integrity and consciousness to objective agenda setting for governance and leadership, and this is the era of enlightenment and awareness of consumers,” Oladele says.

Ifeoma Okeke