New Telegraph

Towards Consumer Rights’ protection, satisfaction in Lagos

Last Tuesday, the Lagos State Government joined the world to celebrate the 2022 World Consumer Rights Day with a renewed vigour to safeguard the rights of consumers in the state. Muritala Ayinla writes

 

The world is rapidly changing, just as people’s lives and ways of life are being altered by a technologically driven world. Business transactions and trading are not the way they used to be.

 

As goods and services change, so too have the financial system and transactions been revolutionised by the advent of technology.

 

Virtually all business transactions in today’s world are conducted online. Goods and services are advertised online, and delivery and payment are also handled online.

 

Nearly 3 billion people, or 40% of the world’s population, are now online, compared with just 1% about 27 years ago, with all projections suggesting that the number will continue to rise. In spite of the technology revolution, which is responsible for the changing face of businesses and transactions, the inalienable rights of consumers are being trampled upon.

 

Consumers are being supplied with inferior products even when the right amount of money has been paid for them. Services rendered and goods sold sometimes are not commensurate with the value of the payment made. Service and products are now provided without consciousness of consumer satisfaction in the minds of service providers and business people.

 

Customers, in most cases, are left at the mercy of the manufacturers and other service or good providers. But to ensure that consumers in the ‘Centre of Excellence’ are always protected, even in the face of the technology-driven market, the Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA), the agency saddled with the responsibility of safeguarding the rights of consumers, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that customers’ rights are protected.

 

The government reiterated its commitment to protecting consumers and providing critical questions for key decision makers to ensure a digital marketplace that is inclusive, safe, dataprotected, private, and sustainable for all.

 

Speaking at an event organised to commemorate the Y2022 World Consumer Rights Day in Lagos, the state’s Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Dr. Lola Akande, said there is a need for the regulators to continue to adapt to change in view of the dynamism in the digital market in order to effectively safeguard the rights of consumers.

According to her, before the advent of automated teller machines (ATMs  and mobile money, Nigerians were often cash-strapped if unable to conclude their transactions at a physical bank before the weekend.

 

She added that the itinerary had a “bank visit” at least once a week, with long and frustrating queues in banking halls. She claimed that access to value-added banking services was limited to a few influential and well-connected individuals.

The commissioner, who described the theme of this year’s celebration, titled: “Fair Digital Finance” as apt, said that different technology innovations, however, brought relief to users with innovative solutions such as USSD, Online/Web payments, Mobile Money, and Digital Banking, among others.

 

She said: “Today, that hurdle is almost history as the financial landscape becomes increasingly digitized. In 2019, Nigeria recorded over 370 million mobile money transactions from 15.3 million customers. Self-service banking options, process automation, and web-based services are almost taken for granted.

 

And the trend has only just begun, as social distancing and other health concerns brought on by COVID-19 push Nigerians to adopt digital banking in increasing numbers.”

The commissioner, who also noted that the event, such as the consumer’s rights celebration, provides an avenue to demand that the rights of all consumers be respected and protected, and to protest against market abuses and social injustices that undermine those rights.

Akande said that, having observed that so many people do not know their rights as consumers, the state government established LASCOPA to serve as the last hope  for aggrieved and dissatisfied consumers.

She added that consumers have the right to a safe and healthy environment, the right to seek redress, and the right to basic needs, among others, adding that service providers, marketers, and business people do have their rights also.

“If consumers are having any problems, we will ensure their rights are protected and, if need be, sanctions will be meted out to those who violate the rights of consumers, be it companies, banks, or law enforcers. I urge LASCOPA to keep sensitising the people to know their rights and the need for consumer rights to be protected at all times, “she said.

Justifying the need for continued innovation in the approach of the agency in ensuring consumers’ rights, the General Manager of LASCOPA, Mr. Afolabi Solebo, said the agency must continue to be dynamic in view of the changing technology and development in the digital market. He urged consumers in the state to speak up whenever their rights are violated, saying that is when the agency would be able to intervene.

He said: “The financial system that we will see in 10 years’ time… even in 5 years’ time will be different to the one we have today. You would agree with me that the financial system is changing, and it’s changing rapidly. The way financial institutions work is also changing. We need to be ready to shape the changes ahead… and not be overwhelmed by them.”

According to him, former United States President John F. Kennedy declared four basic consumer rights, which include the right to safety, to choose, to information  and the right to be heard. “Consumers are an essential part of a safe and secure financial system.

However, consumers should be able to understand the financial system and the choices that they can make. You all would agree with me that over 3 billion, or 40% of the world’s population, is now online, compared with 1% in 1995, with all projections suggesting that the number will continue to rise,” he said.

Solebo said that the agency had intervened in different cases of abuse of consumers’ rights and was able to secure compensation and refunds as the case may be for affected persons. He reminded service providers of the need to treat their customers as kings, stressing that without customers or consumers, there would be no patronage for their services.

The General Manager warned consumers to guard against the misuse of online activities that make them prone to scams, just as he advised the service providers to ensure that consumers have the right information about the services being offered and a clear understanding of their organisations’ modules operandi such that there would be little or no misunderstanding between them and their customers. “If you give every customer their rights, they will become your loyal ones and make sure that their close group also does business with you,” he added. On her part, the Board Chairman of LASCOPA, Mrs. Funmi Falana, said that digital technology is presently influencing purchases and management of investments in the same way that the advent of COVID-19 changed the way things are done generally.

Falana, who was represented by a member of the LASCOPA Board, Mrs. Lekan Rotimi, stated that the rights of consumers must be protected so that injustice can be addressed under the guidance of the law.

She advocated for the positive use of technology to better the lives of many consumers, lessen their burdens, and improve the services rendered to them, as opposed to leveraging technology to bring more discomfort to the consuming public.

An Assistant Director with the Lagos State Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Jimoh Wasiu, who delivered a paper on “Fair Digital Finance”, averred that LASCOPA, as the government agency in charge of consumer-related affairs, is expected to deploy a state-of-the-art technology system to ease the collection, tracking, and resolution of consumer complaints.

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