The Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), on Wednesday, 11th June lauched the joint market monitoring taskforce (JMMT) to ensure effective market monitoring operations.
Boladale Adeyinka, the Director Surveillance & Investigation, who represented the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive, Mr. Tunji Bello, commissioned the committee in Abuja, saying that there is a need for marketers and the government to cooperate and work together to make the market work.
She noted that there are many players and stakeholders in the marketplaces, adding that effective market monitoring operations require all hands to be on deck; that is, the regulators as well as the market executives or market union leaders need to come together as a team to make the market work for all.
She said, “This event, again, underscores FCCPC’s commitment and resolve to protect Nigerian consumers from harmful and unsafe products and also to promote business competitiveness in the Nigerian market by seeking ways and means for all to make the market work.
“It is no news that our markets are flooded with fake, counterfeit and substandard consumer products that are not fit for intended purposes or unsafe or injurious to consumer welfare. At a time when both consumers and businesses are experiencing economic challenges, getting value for money expended on products has become very imperative
“Section 17 (m) (1) (g) (p) (r) (s) (t) of the FCCPA mandates the Commission to seek ways and means of removing hazardous and unsafe products from our markets, eliminate obnoxious and unscrupulous business and marketing practices that are deceptively unfair, and misleading, including anti-competitive practices that substantially prevent or lessen competition in our markets”.
This is the first set of JMMT that the committee is inaugurating, they will cover four markets in the FCT, marking the launch of Phase 1 of the collaborative effort of monitoring operations, which will be established in all the markets across the nation. The markets are within the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Wuse Market, Utako Market, Garki International Market and Garki Modern Market.
“The Terms of Reference to guide the operations of JMMT have been discussed and communicated to members of the JMMT, who have also made commitments to support the Commission’s efforts. We plead for the cooperation of the general public in providing credible information or intelligence, or alert on any violations of any consumer protection laws or enactments in Nigeria through our email, hotlines, complaint portal or any of the social media handles.
Speaking the head marketing and enforcement Abuja market, Musa shelleng, revealed that it is not all traders that want to cut corners, “from my own experience and interactions with most traders, they are not comfortable cutting corners, if there are those cutting corners, it means they are new and do not understand the market.”
He added that there is need for sensitisation, stating that before the enforcement takes off by the committee they should find a way of creating awareness for the traders. Tell traders things they should and shouldn't do. Traders are not stubborn they are only looking for their daily needs.