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NECA decries CPC’s onslaught against private companies

By on November 12, 2014

Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) has decried the increasing act of impunity by the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), alleging that the regulatory agency has its destructive onslaught against members companies.

The umbrella body for private sector employers in the country alleged that the current leadership of CPC had focused more attention on revenue generation through the milking of the private sector all in the name of consumer protection.

This, it stated, is out of the agency’s desperation to survive under a dispensation of a declining budget funding.

NECA, in a statement issued by its Director General, Dr. Segun Oshinowo, cited among others, the punitive charge of about N100 million imposed on a bottling company over allegation of sub-standard product, wondering how the agency would justify the imposition of such fine.

Oshinowo said the management of CPC had blatantly rebuffed every attempt by the Organised Private Sector (OPS) to engage it in social dialogue in order to explore ways of ensuring that it carries out its mandate in a civil and decent manner.

According to him, the CPC’s supervisory ministry, the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, has chosen to remain silent in the face of this onslaught in spite of the entreaties to it to prevail on CPC to embrace social dialogue with stakeholders in the discharge of its mandate.

He warned that closing factories and hounding chief executives to jail on an otherwise flimsy and simple issue that could be resolved through dialogue is high-handedness and abuse of power.

“We subscribed and fully supported the noble idea of Nigerian consumers deriving optimum utility and value from products they used their hard earned money to purchase. We equally believe that any Nigerian producer and manufacturer should accord the highest premium to the safety of their products. It is for these reasons that we have, over the years, worked in collaboration with such ombudsman and regulators like Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and NAFDAC to ensure that these noble ideals are delivered at the doorsteps of Nigerian consumers. It is also for these reasons that we did not oppose the enactment into law of the CPC even though it would have been cost effective and appropriate to get SON to discharge the role.

“It is, however, unfortunate that the current leadership of CPC, the implementer of the law,  probably out of the desperation to survive under a dispensation of a declining budget funding, has focused more attention on revenue generation through the milking of the private sector all in the name of consumers’ protection. A case in point is the punitive charge of almost N100 million imposed on a bottling company as a result of allegation of sub standard product. How on earth would anyone explain the justification for this demand? Why would CPC also want to collect money for product registration, which has already been done by businesses with other regulatory agencies that have the primary responsibility for this?

The same CPC, a while ago, strayed into the aviation sector in spite of the existence of NCAA, which has the primary responsibility to regulate and protect the interest of all stakeholders, including consumers, in that sector.

“It is on record that the CPC has blatantly rebuffed every attempt by the  OPC to engage it in social dialogue in order to explore ways of ensuring that it carries out its mandate in a civil and decent manner. Disappointedly, CPC’s supervisory Ministry, the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, has chosen to remain silent in the face of this onslaught in spite of our entreaties to it to prevail on CPC to embrace social dialogue with stakeholders in the discharge of its mandate.

“We implore the leadership of CPC to get off their high horses and recognise the fact that there is virtue in dialogue and humility. Closing factories and hounding Chief Executives to jail on an otherwise flimsy and simple issue that could be resolved through dialogue is high-handedness and abuse of power. Our economy and Nigerians would be the ones to suffer these excesses by overzealous and self-aggrandised office holders. The OPS reiterates its commitment to social dialogue with CPC that will ensure the meaningful and productive realisation of its purpose as outlined in the law setting it up. Again, we call for restraint as the world is watching,” the Oshinowo said.

 

 

[ThisDay]