By Princewill Ekwujuru

As part of activities to celebrate the 2014 World Consumers Day, Brand Journalists’ Association of Nigeria, BJAN held a one day symposium in Lagos to draw attention to issues affecting the Nigerian Consumers. The theme of the event,  “Corporate Nigeria and The Helpless Consumer,” had the speaker in the person of Oyeyemi, General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN, provided an inciting discourse.

The discussants include Tam Tamunokonbia, Head, Lagos Office of the  Consumer Protection Council, CPC, Sola Salako, President, Consumer Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria, CAFON, David Okeme, Brand Building Director, Unilever Nigeria and Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, CEO, CMC Connect (Perception Managers).

As expected the discussions  were meant to portray the helplessness of consumers in the hands of corporate organisations, but  opinion on the topic was divided as the guest speaker, Oyeyemi said that corporate organisations are indeed helpless instead.

He painted a scenario that affirms the consumer as king and at liberty to reject or accept any product or services targeted at him or her. Kola said this has put the service providers and product manufacturers at a disadvantage since the consumer has plethora of choices and alternatives to choose from.

On the contrary, Kola urged that the Nigeria Consumers were indeed among the most protected across the world. He based his assertion on the premise that several government agencies are daily tasked with the responsibility of protecting the consumers from manufacturers and service providers.

He listed the numerous agencies to include the Ministry of Information Technology, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, National Food, Drug Administration Council, NAFDAC, Consumer Protection Council, CPC and State Infrastructure Regulatory agencies.  He also said that service providers especially in the telecommunication sector are over regulated by agencies which mostly seek to make money out of levies, sanctions and fines.

Oyeyemi who is also the President of Advertisers Association of Nigeria, ADVAN, noted that despite the difficult challenges of doing business in the country, these agencies daily sanction service providers for not meeting up with their obligations.

He further argued that services providers and manufacturers are indeed endangered because no agencies of government are on the look for their interest. He said that despite effort by manufacturers and service providers to survive in a harsh business terrain in the country, consumers remains demanding and disloyal to any particular brand and would quickly move to a competing brand.

Oyeyemi said this has made service providers to stoop low to still provide quality services even at low prices to remain in business. He cautioned that at the rate industry regulators dish out sanction, services providers may begin to fold up in coming years. In the end his suggested that the topic should have been ‘Empower the Consumer, And The Helpless Corporate.’

The GM Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria view was also supported by Okeme who pointed out that manufacturers in the country still try to satisfy the consumers even when they are producing at a loss.

Okeme lamented government’s apathy to the manufacturing sector saying that no country can truly survive when its manufacturing sector is practically dead. He said that despite the numerous factors affecting product manufacturer, they remain committed even to the poorest consumers who desires quality at cheap prices. He gave an instance where his company have had to increase the size of one of its products for same market price just to remain in the competitive market.

Okeme submitted that government must change it policy and attitude towards the manufacturing sector so that already surviving companies would not begin to fold up. He said that manufacturers and service deserves as much protection as the consumers.

The founder of CAFON in her contribution sympathized with service providers and manufacturers on the challenges they face in the country but aptly noted that such was not enough reason for exploiting consumers who she insists were indeed helpless.

Salako said that in a bid to cover their high cost of production, manufacturers and service providers resort to all manners of scam and tricks to cheat the consumer. She said this has been responsible for the huge profit make especially by the telecoms sector despite the complaint of harsh economic environment.

Salako also pointed that every consumer deserves the right to get quality services for payments already made and that no excuse should suffix to the contrary. She also disagreed with the previous speakers that regulatory agencies were really on the side of consumers. According to Shola the action of regulatory agencies which collect fees and fines from defaulting service providers and manufacturers without making direct compensation to consumers is unacceptable.