Expert calls for national campaign on consumer rights
By Amechi Obiakpu
Founder & Lead Strategist, Absolute PR, Akonte Ekine, has advocated for a national campaign on Consumer Rights even as he called for the expansion of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) office locations to include local government offices across the 774 local governments.
Akonte, who is also the Convener, Consumers Value Awards (CVA), said if truly we want to improve experience we need to have a national campaign on Consumer Rights to improve the literacy level of the consumers and also attempt to provide local offices for more people to reach them.
Akonte who made this known during Consumers’ Experience Summit/Awards 2024 with the theme: Empowering Consumers: Shaping the Future of Experience recently in Lagos.
According to him, “all companies, should have an independent feedback department responsible for attending to consumers’ queries dailies and we should have law on consumers’ responses not more than 24 hours.”
Speaking further, he pointed out, that “let’s us also established that with over 200 million consumers, there will be 200 million different experiences that we can say they are good and bad or a mixed bag of experiences.”
“It is also important to establish that the experiences will differ from industry to industry. Today, we can all connect with ease legal or judiciary sector with the development of the narratives ongoing in the published work of Dele Farotimi. That experience is in the public domain and that is one experience that has been seen in a sector of the economy and the consumers and practitioners of law are contending with,” he said.
Continuing, he added that, “Choma Okoli and the Erisco Tomato paste is a classic case for us in FMCG (I am not sure we know the concluding part of the story)”.
“According to Oxford dictionary, it is a “fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation or practical knowledge, skill, or practice derived from direct observation of or participation in events or in a particular activity.” He noted.
Further speaking, he disclosed that, “we as consumers are also gaining experiences daily in various markets depending on where we are buying and what we buying and from whom we are buying. Unfortunately, there are mutual markets we are not allowed to stay away from but compelled by regulations to consume same products and service even when our income differs.”
“As consumers, we are playing in same market and that market can simply be classified as the public sector or private sector market. In these markets, the operators’ behaviour even affect the service experience. What do you think about the behaviour of the operators? I am sure you can connect with that and use that as your evaluation of the experience of yourself in the market place.” He noted.
Earlier in his welcome address, the convener of the summit, Godwin Anyebe disclosed that, “as consumer preferences evolve at an unprecedented pace, our theme underscores the critical need to adapt, innovate, and place consumers at the heart of every strategy and decision.”
“This summit is more than just a conversation—it is a collaborative platform for ideation, learning, and actionable solutions. We will hear from seasoned experts, engage in transformative discussions, and gain insights into trends shaping the future of consumer experiences across industries.”
Meanwhile, Consumers’ Assembly presents Award for Most Innovative Property Company of the Year 2024, to Nehemiah Grace Developers Ltd, the Award for Excellence in Real Estate Development and Customer Satisfaction, 2024 went to Sow Eleal Estate, and Cynosure Aesthetic took home the award for Best Aesthetic Care and Customer Satisfaction Award 2024 and award for Excellent in Sustainable Resource Management, 2024, goes to Iron Resource Management.
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