World Consumer Rights Day: Consumer advocate calls for awareness
By Felicia Nwosu
As Nigeria joined its counterparts across the world to observe this year’s World Consumer Rights Day, a consumer advocate, Lanre Alabi, Director, Media, Brand I, has called for the creation of more awareness for consumers, to enable them know their rights and how to speak out when being trampled upon.
This year’s World Consumer Rights Day, which had the theme: “Empowering Consumers Through Clean Energy Transitions”, was designed to help consumers overcome challenges related to the cost of living and expand access to reliable, affordable, sustainable and modern energy.
Speaking with MARKETING EDGE in an exclusive interview, Alabi, who directed his comments on the theme, emphasized the need for strong advocacy that will educate, inform and enlighten consumers about their rights through campaigns, adverts, public meetings, social media, and many others to get them informed on the need to transit to clean energy. The media expert explained that Nigeria as a developing country is striving to catch-up on the global scene as many consumers and, so, many consumers are not aware of such terms. He suggested that it will be imperative for an economy that wants to encourage local production to adopt the clean energy model for the safety of its people.
“Consumer awareness is important so that they can buy right and as well know the right agencies to complain to when the need arises. They must voice out when their rights are ignored. There are several platforms where they can freely air their views such as social media, consumer protection agencies and other reputable bodies who are consumer enthusiasts,” he said.
According to him, some of the agencies charged with such roles are already occupied with many responsibilities, but there should be massive awareness about value for money and quality service offerings in the marketplace aimed at ensuring consumers’ right to uninterrupted and undiluted satisfaction. This, he stated, will help consumers to decipher when a product is good for health and is free of creating any environmental hazard.
“The hands of these agencies are already full but they must ensure that consumers are not cheated when it comes to quality, right quantity, and price. But consumers themselves also have a role to play. They must know their right to safety in terms of environment, price, potency, quality, and quantity of the goods or services purchased,” he said.
World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on the 15th March every year, as a means of raising global awareness about consumer rights and needs. Celebrating the day is a chance to demand that the rights of all consumers are respected and protected, and to protest against market abuses and social injustices which undermine those rights. World Consumer Rights Day is globally recognised and accredited by the United Nations.
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