Consumer protection council comes alive too
Some call it the Buhari bounce. Others describe it as the Buhari effect. Yet some others say it is the Buhari aura. One thing is, however, crystal clear. Things have not been the same in the past 100 days in Nigeria, since Muhammadu Buhari assumed the presidency. A new sheriff has truly come to town”. Those were the words of Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, in his article “A New Sheriff Is In Town” to mark the first 100 days in office of his boss.
Mr. Adesina added “When a new sheriff comes into town, disorder gives way to order. Chaos flees. Impunity is swept away. Laxity gives way to diligence, and people change their old, unedifying ways. When you have a Wild, Wild West situation prevailing, the new sheriff comes, and stamps his authority. Old things then pass away, behold, everything becomes new” he wrote.
While many may dismiss Mr. Adesina’s write-up with “what do you expect from a servant to his paymaster” disposition, above excerpt holds sway in today’s Nigeria, as laxity, atleast, can be seen to be giving way to diligence, especially in the civil service, and people (including the politicians) are changing their “old and unedifying ways”
Simply put, and it is a common knowledge, except for those who deliberately may not want to agree for “some” reasons; since the government of President Muhammadu Buhari came on board, the hitherto “lull” in the activities of government ministries, agencies and parastatals, is now replaced with “liveliness” as they are all revving their operational engines back to life.
Notably, the power situation has improved across the country (at least better than it was in the past) with about 5,000 megawatts of electricity currently generated- achieving this has been a “mirage” in the past, even with the several Billions of dollars that have gone into the different schemes designed to improve power in the country.
The same “magic” is also playing out in the oil and gas sector. The moribund petroleum refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna have suddenly come back top to life, and the misery of fuel scarcity is no more. Okay, if you say it was because they changed the management of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), that’s why things are working in the oil and gas sector, what about the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and other agencies with the same leadership and structure inherited from the immediate past administration? Haven’t you seen some “actions” lately?
However, whether they are acting because of the new sheriff or that they just realized that they should do their work; what is important is that agencies and parastatals are now “working”. Like someone observed about her eight years old daughter, “Now she (her daughter) knows there are agencies and parastatals created to tackle various challenges facing Nigeria” I can’t agree more, and perhaps that is why Mr. Adesina’s article must be seen beyond “partisanship” because indeed “A new sheriff is in town” and the system is working.
Enter the Consumer Protection Council (CPC); a parastatal under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment; established by Act No. 66 of 1992, but commenced operations in 1999, when its institutional framework was put in place. Underline1999 when it commenced operation, that’s 16 years old ago.
The CPC has a noble mandate to this country and her inhabitants “to, among others, eliminate hazardous products from the market, provide speedy redress to consumers complaints, undertake campaigns as will lead to increased consumer awareness, ensure that consumers interest receive due consideration at the appropriate forum, and encourage trade, industry and professional associations to develop and enforce in their various fields quality standards designed to safeguard the interest of consumers”.
Again, someone asked; “with this mandate, we haven’t seen much of their (CPC) effect in the Nigerian market and on Nigerian consumers?” This he said after I explained the functions of CPC to him. However, it is gratifying to note that CPC has also joined the group of government establishments that are now revving their operational engines back to life. Or what would one say about its activities in the last two months as were read in the media, and on its website, which was hitherto “dormant”.
If you are a news freak, you perhaps would have been inundated with the news of CPC’s activities. Example -“CPC probes FCMB over alleged N1.86bn excess charges” (this is about an complaint by the Bauchi State government, alleging that FCMB (First City Monument Bank) without any prior information, charged 21 per cent interest rate per annum on two loans of N10billion and N3billion, which the bank granted it on 22nd January, 2009 and 15th June, 2011 respectively, both at the rate of 13 per cent interest per annum, and that this has resulted in excess interest charges on its account, amounting to the sum of N1,864,188,594.78 as at February 2014”) The CPC is working!
“CPC beams search light on hospitality firm”- (This is about complaints by some customers of a Nigerian hospitality company- VIP Express Tourism Limited, alleging that the company reneges on its terms of agreements with them on their subscriptions to its hospitality packages). CPC is working!
Also “CPC Probes DSTV” (Of course, the “issue” between the Digital Satellite Television (DSTV) and its Nigerian customers has been “forever”, it is even in court, but CPC, on Friday, July 13th, 2015, started an investigation into the activities of the digital satellite television providers over alleged consumer rights abuses against Nigerians.) CPC is working!
More recently, many Nigerians were happy with the news that “CPC tackles Discos over outrageous bills”. This according to Mrs. Dupe Atoki, director general of CPC, was because of the massive influx of consumer complaints on sundry issues which bother on the abuse of the rights of Nigerian electricity consumers. Mrs Atoki said this at the opening sitting of the investigation panel on the issue, on the 7th of September, 2015, in Abuja.
According to her, the idea behind the panel is to summon the DISCOs (electricity distribution companies) before the panel for investigation and possible resolutions as the complaints from consumers include but not limited to (the usual) “indiscriminate increase in electricity bills, non-supply of metres to consumers several months after payment, irregular disconnection and estimated billing for non-metred and consumers with post-payment metres, which are allegedly not read regularly etc” CPC is working.
With these, one can see that CPC has come alive too.
To be fair to CPC, they could have been working unannounced over the years, still, looking at the gross abuse Nigerian consumers suffer daily, they need to do more.
One, however, hopes CPC maintains its current tempo, whether it is because of the new sheriff in town or not, in the interest of Nigeria and Nigeria consumers whose interest their mandate was designed to protect.
Like one of my respondents asked during my recent case study on a particular product, “if truly CPC is handling its mandate very well, Nigeria and her citizens would be better for it”. I quite agree.
Over to you CPC. It shouldn’t be about the new sheriff, it should be about your mandate. Nigeria consumers deserve the best.
Arinze Okamelu