BY FAVOUR NNABUGWU

The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has devised new method of fighting quackery and counterfeit in the country.

The council has therefore concluded plans to introduce products and services monitoring and registration scheme known as ProServe aimed at eliminating counterfeiting and quackery in Nigeria.

CPC Director-General, Mrs Ifeyinwa Umenyi made this known in Abuja. The DG said the programme will entail creation of data bank for genuine products and services in the country.

Umenyi said the programme is aimed at enhancing traceability of products and services in order to checkmate substandard and poor services for the enhanced protection of  consumers.

She said the agency in addition to its existing efforts towards tackling consumer abuses in Nigeria, is taking a more aggressive and proactive step to substantially minimise fake and substandard products and services.

“CPC is also set to facilitate fair trading and improve protection of Nigerian consumers who often pay for goods and services that do not yield expected utility.

“Apart from this, Proserve will also provide added services to businesses by utilising state of the art technology to publish periodic consumer guide in both paper and electronic forms.

She said this will serve as a repository of information on the quality status and features of genuine products and services in the country.

The DG said the product will in no doubt increase consumers’ confidence in products and services that may be listed.

Umenyi believed that products and services registered under ProServe will form an easily retrievable database.

She said distinctive ProServe certificates and insignia would also be displayed by registered products and services, indicating that the product or service is certified competent.

According to her, this will enable consumers to choose on an informed basis, eliminate dubious practitioners in the respective economic sectors and ensure that consumers are no longer abused in Nigeria.

She said ProServe will offer a win-win situation for consumers and businesses as it will boost consumer confidence in the marketplace and enhance the patronage of registered products and services.

The scheme will also serve as a platform for CPC to collaborate with sector regulators, NGOs, trade groups, producers, importers, distributors, and service providers in Nigeria.

The registration numbers assigned to products and services will assist regulators identify offenders and apply the necessary sanctions.