FOR a long time now, Nigeria has been a dumping ground for all kinds of goods from all parts of the world. From toothpaste, to vehicle spare parts, all manner of goods are imported into the country for sale. Some of these products are fake and substandard.
People now find it difficult to distinguish between good and bad products. What some people do these days is to take along technicians or other experts when going to make purchases of technical products.This is in order not to fall prey to fake goods. According to reports, the reason these substandard goods have flooded our markets and shops is because some Nigerian businessmen ask their foreign partners to lower the quality of the goods they send here ,so that people can afford them. However, incessant reports of late from unsatisfied consumers, suggest that they do not get value for the money spent on most of these goods.
Apart from the imported or smuggled fake goods, some manufacturers in the country also deliberately push low quality products into the market either out of inability to produce better ones or in order to make quick money. Others just reproduce existing products and bring to the market place . In all these instances ,the goods do more damage than good. Fake products have been implicated in many accidents in the country be it fire, road or collapsed buildings. They are therefore a danger to society, and should not be allowed to flourish.
One of the features of these fake products, is that they are cheaper. While this should serve as a warning to consumers, it is actually the attraction .The result is that some of these products have become very popular with people. With the economy the way it is presently, and the literacy level so low, most people just buy some of these cheaper products without thinking about the bad effects they may have on them. As accidents involving fake products have shown,these products do not distinguish between ignorant and knowlegeable consumers.
Some traders also capitalize on the ignorance of consumers about some of these products by passing fake goods for genuine ones and getting paid accordingly. This creates all kinds of problems for consumers.
While all the products in the shops do not necessarily have to be very expensive and top of the range, the affordable ones should at least meet the minimum requirements of safety and performance. This way the consumers can be protected from fakes.
Although most of these imported substandard products come into the country illegally from the borders, some also come in from the ports.This is why the authorities have to step up their monitoring efforts. The Standard Organisation of Nigeria has stated that they are doing their best to stem the inflow of substandard goods, it seems, however, ,that they will have to do more. Since the goods keep coming in,new ways have to be devised to stop them from coming in. The borders have to be better monitored. Also the old practice of visiting factories to check on quality of products before they are released to the market, should be revisited. SON is reported to have taken delivery of a new laboratory in Lagos. They should use it effectively to ensure that there are fewer substandard goods in circulation.
Untill a few years ago, fake drugs were everywhere in the country, sometimes killing people. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) launched a war against it and this has helped in reducing the prevalence of fake drugs in the polity. It seems that in order for government agencies to get results, they have to be very tough with those that don’t toe the line. The dangers in substandard goods, suggest that such steps are necessary. The other agencies responsible for ensuring that fake goods don’t enter the country like Customs, should also step up their monitoring role. People should be able to go to the shops and buy a product knowing that it is good, instead of worrying about fakes. This was how it used to be, and it can still be so with more efforts by the authorities.
On its part, government should strive to improve on the economy so that people can have jobs. This will empower more people to buy quality goods. They should also fund SON well so that it can perform its role of policing the borders effectively. Since the banks are now recapitalised they should begin to offer long term loans to manufacturers so that they can purchase the latest equipment to produce quality goods.
Consumers although acknowledged world wide as kings in the market place, have never been given their due in Nigeria. This is mainly because there are no existing structures to take care of their complaints. Although the Consumer Protection Commission is currently running a campaign in the media, which is good, there should be more points in cities where people can go to complain when they have problems with their purchases. By the time people get redress for purchasing fake goods, the sellers may reconsider their activities. Non-Governmental Organi-sations that are interested in consumer protection, should also do the same. Fake products are a problem for everyone, individuals, government and industry. All efforts should therefore be geared towards reducing their prevalence in the society.
Source: Vanguard