There are two governmental agencies set up/established by the government to protect the Nigerian Consumer’s Rights. They include:
1. the Consumer Protection Council (CPC)
2. Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON)
1. Consumer Protection Council (CPC)
This is an agency of the government established to protect the Nigerian Consumer’s rights and equally protecting them from manufacturers and other persons offering goods and services. The CPC ensures that these goods and services are offered in accordance with the relevant laws which protect the fundamental rights of Citizens. They see to it that the consumers buy goods which are equal to the value of the money they pay. There is also the Young Consumers’ Club in secondary schools.
Functions Of CPC
1. To create honest businessmen and industrialists who will not produce shoddy/substandard or low quality goods, in place of high quality goods. For example, selling of contaminated food or drinks, selling textbooks with missing pages or not well bound. The Consumer has the responsibilities to report such cases to the Consumer Protection Council.
2. Through Consumer Education, CPC seeks to update the consumers on their rights and responsibilities in order to equip them with knowledge and skills needed to make them informed customers, to avoid being deceived or misled by traders.
3. Through the making of better laws, the CPC seeks to protect the consumer from fraudulent Correspondence Courses and bogus Sales Promotion, like those who promise that somebody will win a car but at the end, nobody wins any car.
4. The CPC ensures that consumer laws and regulations are fully and properly implemented.
2. Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON)
When the Federal Government realized that many products and services in Nigeria were poor and below standards, it set up the SON to help NAFDAC and CPC to protect the NIGERIAN consumers’ rights. They perform the following functions:
1. To ensure that products manufactured in Nigeria are of good standards e.g. food and drinks.
2. Wipe out completely or reduce the presence of poor standard goods in the market.
3. Award certificates to organizations, who obey the laws.
4. Get the Federal and State Ministry of Health to promote health activities.
5. Investigate and punish any organization that refuses to meet the standard set by government.
Slogan of SON
SON is improving life through standards.
Saying NO TO SUBSTANDARD
Look well well SON dey say
Look well well; All that glitters is not Gold.