NIGERIA – The Standards Organisation of Nigeria’s (SON), Director-General, has reiterated that the collaboration between the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) needs to be strengthened to achieve collective goals of protecting consumers.
Mallam Farouk Salim, the SON Director General expressed this while receiving the Executive Vice Chairman of the FCCPC, Babatunde Erukera alongside the management staff of the Commission during a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.
According to him, Nigeria is an import-based economy, therefore both organizations need to work together to achieve collective goals of protecting consumers as well as industries in ensuring that everyone plays by the rule.
Further, the SON boss said both FCCPC and SON are “security agencies” playing important roles in safeguarding Nigerians, hence the need to be afforded the wherewithal to enable both organizations fight the prevalence of substandard goods and services given the challenges faced during enforcement exercises.
In his response, the Executive Vice Chairman, FCCPC, Babatunde Erukera expressed satisfaction with the relationship between the two agencies.
He emphasized the need to transcend cordial relationship and exploring the possibility of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which will enable both agencies to achieve common goals of consumer protection and value for money on products and service quality.
According to Erukera, the need for an MOU between the organizations is necessary, because manufacturers dealing with SON would do the same with FCCPC without acrimony if there’s a synergy between the two agencies in the areas of standards, enforcement of consumer rights and unfair trade practices.
The FCCPC operates within the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment in Nigeria and is responsible for protecting market competition and promoting consumer protection.
Since the FCCPC was passed into law in January 2019, the regulatory landscape of Nigeria’s competition and consumer protection regime has been greatly improved.
Citizens have more confidence in demanding respect for their rights and the Commission has been very responsive in instilling and enforcing consumers’ rights and stabilizing competition in the Nigerian economy.
The Commission routinely participates in SON’s technical committees for standards setting and review. The standard setting process is a vital forum for the Commission to discharge a core statutory mandate which is ensuring consumer interests receive due consideration at appropriate fora.
Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Safety Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food safety, quality and compliance. SUBSCRIBE HERE
