By Favour Nnabugwu

Determined to avert any fire outbreak in Abuja metropolis arising from the use of sub-standard building materials, the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has raided Maraba building material market,  Abuja confiscating rolls of substandard electrical wires running into millions of naira.

Though, the Council did not effect any arrest in the last weekend raid in Abuja led by Shamm Kolo, Assistant Director, Surveillance and Enforcement, but succeeded in taking away suspected fake electric cables from the dealers to the office for further testing.

Victor Cheta, Chairman of Building Materials Association, Maraba branch agreed that some of the traders deal in substandard products and the association is in support of the exercise stressing that there is the need to rid the market of substandard products.

While commending the way and manner the operation was carried out, the chairman however, expressed hope that those products found to be original after testing would be returned to the bonafide owners to prove wrong the allegation of the members that the products would not be returned even if found to be original after testing.

Boladale Adeyinka, Chief Surveillance/Enforcement officer, CPC, however, said the hostility met in the market is pointing to the fact that the agency is fighting against substandard products noting that the mandate of CPC is to remove hazardous products from the markets even after finding their way to the market no matter the source be it locally made or imported.

While noting that the effect of substandard cable is more on the home appliances and as such, wreak havoc on the whole building through fire, Adeyinka said government has put in place necessary measures to safeguard the consumer, noting that it is possible for a product to escape all checking points and get to the market but it is the duty of Consumer Protection Council to ensure that such products are not consumed.

Meanwhile, Shamm Kolo, leader of the team and Assistant Director, Surveillance and Enforcement, CPC, said the Council was at the market to ensure that the fight against substandard products embarked upon by the CPC was not in futility.

He maintained that the Council has nothing in particular against NACACO products but that “the enforcement generally is on electrical wires and NACACO productts are more in the market”.

Kolo said, “we will make sure that every substandard product is eliminated from the market, so the message is very clear. We have given notice and the information was leaked out which was why you can see that fake ones were removed from the market because this is not the only market we have gone to and the markets are interlinked.”

The director maintained that “every substandard product is fake. We were able to pick samples that we wanted and even the manufacturers are coming to our office to identify their goods if they are substandard or standard.”