I recently came across an empty container of curry powder in the house and for some reason decided to look at its contents. I saw: turmeric, onions, coriander, fenugreek,fennel, salt, paprika, garlic, cumin, caraway, chili pepper, black pepper and wondered: are all these ingredients really inside this little container of curry powder which costs barely N150 (about $0.45)?
Dont blame me so much. It's not like we don't have agencies in charge of product standards and consumer protection. Some of those that come to mind are:
- National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC),
- Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)
- Consumer Protection Council (CPC) ...
...but in recent years, we rarely hear of any popular products, manufacturers that have been sanctioned or publicly reprimanded for poor product quality, poor standards or any issues with consumer complaints.
We see complaints in the form of videos all over social media from customers of different products ranging from fruit drinks to oils and medications. We have not seen a corresponding response to these allegations via the same medium or via press releases. We notice a lot of inconsistencies with a lot of products we purchase everyday and it's so difficult to trust what you buy these days.
Nevertheless, what can we do, since the government seems to be currently more involved in 2019 Elections politics. A lot of people have resorted to going natural which herbal products or patronize locally prepared food and drinks.
Below are some useful links to enable consumers submit complaints.
http://www.cpc.gov.ng/index.php/submit-a-complaint
https://www.nafdac.gov.ng/about-nafdac/contact-nafdac/complaints-and-enquiries/
http://son.gov.ng/complaints-center
If you have issues with your mobile operator, here is the link for complaints...
http://consumer.ncc.gov.ng/submit-a-complaint/