EU, CPC collaborate to tackle consumer abuse, exploitation

The Consumer Protection Council and the European Union have commenced plans to jointly address issues of consumer abuse and exploitation in Nigeria. The need for collaboration is in line with CPC’s ongoing efforts to develop globally acceptable standard guidelines for businesses in Nigeria and protect consumers’ rights across all sectors.
While receiving the Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Michel Arrion, in her office on Wednesday, the Director-General, CPC, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, said there must be adequate focus on protecting the demand side of trade (consumers), without which there would be serious trade imbalance. Atoki said, “I am aware that the Nigerian EU partnership is committed to supporting Nigeria’s efforts in promoting trade, competition and consumer protection. “The National Quality Infrastructure Project for Nigeria, which is entirely funded by the EU attests to this commitment. While the EU promotes trade and competition as one of the most effective ways to boost development, CPC is equally focused on protecting the demand side of trade (consumers), without which there will be a serious trade imbalance.
“Nigerian consumers had over the years had no significant protection from the overwhelming consumer abuses and exploitation by business operators, who largely did not comply with international best practices. The consumers have had to contend with poor telecom service delivery, shoddy treatment of airline passengers, defective products without opportunity for redress and operators’ impunity, among others.”
The Director General commended Arrion for regarding the role of CPC as critical in the development of the Nigerian economy, noting that the Nigerian EU partnership had been evolving since 1976 and was formalised in 2009 in the form of the Nigeria EU Joint Way Forward with a commitment to work together along the same policies.
In his speech, Arrion said, “The EU believes that consumers need protection in Nigeria, and we are trying to see how we can collaborate with CPC in solving some of the consumers problems. When we are discussing with our interlocutors in Nigeria and they tell us how consumers are treated, we feel bad, so we are very happy to be here today to look together as to where there is need for us to work with CPC.
“The EU has transformed compared to what it was some 50 years ago when it was first established in 1974. We were just a little development agency, but progressively we acquired more political dimension and assumed more political relations. I am interested in dialogue with CPC, not only on the basis of what we are doing in the field of development cooperation, but on the programme we have in trade and investment where the rights of consumers are to be protected.”
While acknowledging the importance of consumer protection in an economy as large as the Nigerian economy and the critical role that CPC plays in that regard, the Ambassador expressed satisfaction with the development of the Nigerian competition bill, which he said was another milestone in the development of trade and investment in Nigeria.