Globally, interest in consumers’ rights in the transaction process has gained emphatic mention, especially in the face of rising consumer economy, private sector-led development, globalization as well as unprecedented growth in information and communication technology, among others. In fact, the development is not peculiar to the developing countries of the world. In Nigeria, however, consumer protection remains an issue considering the perennial dumping of substandard goods, especially electric lamps and bulbs in the country, fuelled by greed and profit motive of manufacturers and importers. In an environment where consumers are constrained by low purchasing power, and inadequate product labelling as well as poor knowledge of protection laws, consumer education has become much more imperative. FEMI ADEKOYA writes.
IN today’s increasingly competitive environment, consumers are becoming more discriminating in their purchases and making complaints about poor after-sales services, product quality and value for money. This places a burden on manufacturers to provide products that meet the needs of consumers.
Indeed, early works on consumer behaviour have shown that consumers often encounter dissatisfactory experience in their consumption experience. That is, consumer dissatisfaction occurs when there is discrepancy between expected and realized performance or dissatisfaction with an attribute.
Once a dissatisfaction occurs, there are options available under consumer complaining behaviour (CCB), namely: to resolve it; do nothing; take private action by switching brands or suppliers, boycotting the product/service or warning family and friends; take public action by seeking redress directly from the retailer and/or manufacturer and/or indirectly, bringing legal action, complaining to the media and/or registering a complaint with a consumer association.
Paradoxically, the average Nigerian consumer hardly seeks redress in the face of apparent exploitation and abuse in the exchange process. A situation that tries to suggest rather forcefully of a normally absurd, becoming absurdly normal. Such absurdity and the obvious case of consumers’ passivity have engendered dumping of sub-standard goods in the market.
Today, fake and sub-standard goods thrive in Nigeria with major consequences. Lives and properties are lost due to building collapse and fire outbreak occasioned by sub-standard electrical and building materials. Sub-standard tyres and other fake motor spare parts have sent many people to their untimely graves.
Similarly, Nigerians are not getting value for their money because it is spent on sub-standard goods that cannot stand the test of time. On the average, many Nigerians spend about five times more money and time maintaining these products because of their poor quality.
Furthermore, the undue pressure sub-standard goods bring to bear on the environment is a growing concern. As a result of the high frequency of replacements caused by the use of poor quality materials alongside Nigeria’s poor recycling culture, the environment is always littered and over burdened with replaced and unusable parts.
The chain effect of environmental pressure and pollution is enduring, posing a risk to consumers’ health.
Dumping of sub-standard goods in Nigeria is creating a disincentive to production and investment, thereby negating the whole essence of the protection of infant industries.
Most manufacturing plants of consumer goods are fast closing down because they cannot compete with the fake products dumped in Nigeria from Asia. A typical scenario is where a Chinese company manufactures a product for a Nigerian at a relatively fair quality and almost at the same time produces the same product for another Nigerian importer at a reduced quality.
Worried by the rising trend of dumping of sub-standard goods by importers, especially in the electric lamps and bulbs industry, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria recently raised concern on the need for consumers to check products before an exchange occurs.
According to the agency, it has become important to enlighten consumers on the effects of continuous purchase of sub-standard products.
Indeed the SON noted that about 75 per cent of tested lamps, some of which are in the market, failed its compliance test.
To address this scourge, the agency has resolved to adopt as part of its enforcement strategy, the 'name and shame' method to discredit uncertified products in the market, while adding that bulbs and lamps manufacturers must henceforth provide a year warranty to consumers.
The Director-General, SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu said the agency would no longer tolerate the importation and sale of failed products in the market.
According to him, any product that fails its compliance tests or does not have SONCAP certificate, in the case of an imported product, would not be sold in the markets.
Odumodu, explained that the need to sanitise the electric lamp market cannot be over-emphasised, considering the cost of replacing substandard lamps and the need to ensure that consumers are not exposed to danger of intolerable level of mercury after use and disposal.
He said: "It is not in SON's character to destroy goods because it devalues the economy. However, a test carried out on 72 lamps of 34 brands revealed 44 out of the 72 lamps failed efficacy and lumens maintenance after 2000 hours life performance tests, while there were variations in terms of information made available for consumers.
"With this kind of result, it is obvious that these kinds of product should not be allowed to get into the markets. They are unsafe and have potential health hazards on consumers. The need to sanitize the electric lamp market cannot be over-emphasised considering the cost of replacing sub-standard lamp and the danger f exposure to intolerable level of mercury after use and disposal.
“In view of the non-compliance to the requirements of the Nigeria Industrial Standard and the 2011 agreement that we had with importers, SON has resolved that all lamp sold in the market must be registered immediately; all importers of lamp should ensure compliance to maximum of 5mg of mercury as well as full compliance to other requirements.”
“Immediate enforcement of the standard has commenced and all importers of lamp should ensure compliance to maximum of 5 milligrams of mercury.
“These importers will believe it is still business as usual. This meeting we have had today will go a long way to persuade two or more people to do the right thing and these two people can translate to a lot of meaningful changes in the way businesses is being done.
“We have seen importers who came forward to test their products because they want to know the right way of doing business in the country.
“We would start enforcement immediately because we have already given 15 months to importers to go about their businesses in the right way and I must tell you that I feel ashamed that I could not do anything in the last 15 months. The reason was that we did not have the capability for testing but now we have the equipment and we are ready to fight this battle. At the end of September, there would be massive enforcement programmes,” Odumodu added.
Some of the stakeholders present however blamed the prevalence of sub-standard bulbs in the market to the intrusion of Chinese businesses in the market.
According to them, products with certifications don’t get adequate patronage while sub-standard products thrive.
One of the stakeholders, Yinka Boluwaji stressed the need for SON to up its game in terms of enforcement while urging the agency to bridge the information gap on some of the requirements necessary for compliance to required standards.
Similarly, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) National Project Coordinator, Etiosa Ujigue stressed the need on the country to reduce power consumption by embracing energy saving lamps and also reduce patronage of substandard products.
This according to him would help in addressing environmental issues created by disposal of such unused products.
On proper enlightenment of stakeholders and consumers on standardization requirements, Odumodu, explained that the organization has set to itself under law the goal to provide Nigerian industries with up-to-date information on standardization and its benefits, to encourage participation of the Organized Private Sector (OPS) in standardization and review as to ensure improved competitiveness of Nigerian goods at home and abroad by encouraging quality assurance practices.”
“Apart from what has been mentioned previously SON is also o ensure adequate technical support for Nigerian industries to match the quality required for competitiveness in global trade, and to motivate the workforce through steady investment in human resource development for acquisition of skills in line with technological advancement. Other goals are to collaborate with regional and international organizations in the areas of metrology, standards, testing and quality assurance for the enhancement of skills and the encouragement of free trade and capacity building.”
To this end, he said the agency partnered with international agencies to develop acceptable standards for different products to aid international competitiveness.
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