By Peter Dibia (08137847696)
Many will agree with me that an industrious and loveable woman is always a joy to her husband and kinsmen.
The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, became the sixth elected Governor of Imo State following the Supreme Court judgement on 14th January, 2020. After his swearing in at the Heroes Square, Owerri, he decided to form a team to help him in achieving his 3R’s mantra, of which he considered Hon. Mrs Obioma Okafor to be part of the team.
It is on record that before her appointment as the Director General of Consumer Protection Council, many people were not aware of the existence of the council in the State.
From my painstaking investigation, Hon. Mrs Obioma Okafor, was appointed as the Director General, Imo State Consumer Protection Commission in April 2020, by His Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodinma. Ever Since then she has proved herself beyond reasonable doubt that she came to transform and revamp the long dead council to the glory of God and safety of Imo people.
Indeed, in my today’s write up, I have not come to praise her her, but to x-ray her impeccable achievements in celebration of his Excellency One Year in Office.
Upon her assumption of Office, The DG CPC, Hon Mrs Obioma Okafor, under the Shared Prosperity government, relocated the CPC Office from a dilapidated office accommodation at block 5, Old Orlu Road Secretariat behind Imo State Isolation Centre Owerri to a more befitting and comfortable office environment, an edifice at Area B, New Owerri, Opposite ISOPADEC new office Owerri.
After her securement of a new apartment for the council , she moved into training of the staff of the commission by organising series of capacity building training and workshops on how to identify fake and adulterated products in the market.
In one of the trainings I witnessed, I heard her telling her staff that CPC is a spiritual agent hence the lives of Imo people is involved. After the training I concluded that indeed she has come to work.
This trainings and workshops indeed enhanced the effective performance of the 64 staff of the commission.
I can not forget in a hurry the first contact I had with her, within her first weeks of resumption of duty as the DG CPC Imo State, Hon. Mrs Obioma Okafor took a bold step of destroying all the fake and expired products confiscated by former DG, at Avu junction along Owerri- Portharcourt Road.
She continued her good work by embarking on a strategic sensitisation tour with her special team to all the three senatorial zones of Imo State namely Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe, just to educate and enlighten the consumers and sellers of goods and services around Imo State, especially those at the rural areas on the need to know their rights while informing them of Governor Hope Uzodinma’s determination to protect and deliver good governance for the benefit of all citizenry.
Furthermore, this great woman of substance continued her good deeds by visiting all major supermarkets in Imo State, sensitizing them on the need to sell only quality products and always remove all expired products from their shelf, for the healthy living of Imo people, hence hazardous products are harmful to human body.
Being a woman who understands the importance of synergy and team work reached out to other sister agencies in the state like NAFDAC, SON, NERC, DPR, CBN etc. With this effort, the DG has established a good working relationship between CPC and other sectors regulators for effective Consumer Protection in the state. Is this not wonderful, my special readers? off course it is hence government is all about working in synergy.
Also, In her zeal to strictly pursue the critical mandates of CPC, Hon. Obioma Okafor on several occasions invited the leadership of the state chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Association of Table Waters Producers of Nigeria (ATWAP), Master Bakers Association of Nigeria, Grains Dealers Association of Nigeria, Vegetable Oil dealers of Nigeria, etc, just to explain to them on the need to deal on quality products and warned them against fake products.
Being a woman of foresight that understands the overall function of security can not be over emphasized, established a strong working relations/partnership with all the security agencies in the state which include Army, Police, Civil Defence and Road Safety assist CPC officers in the area of intelligence gathering and effective enforcement operations in the state, through her constant visit to their offices just to be taking security advise.
Likewise, in her passion and determination to eradicate fake products in the market, immediately after her appointment, she declared serious war against fake and expired products in the state. A task she achieved through strategic surveillance and enforcement operations.
You can agree with me that today, there is a drastic reduction in the rate and circulation of fake and substandard products in Imo state.
Going further, the PROHIBITION OF SALE OF EXPIRED PRODUCTS in Imo state, creation of Radio jingles for the purpose of enlightening Imolites to be conscious of what they eat, insist in collecting receipt of all the purchase they made and then report any issue of abuse of their rights to CPC, maximum protection of consumer’s right, partnership with state ministry of education, routine factory inspection, adequate complaint resolution mechanisms, introduction of regular radio program, regular seminars to Imo state market stakeholders,
introduction of consumers 3R, strong collaboration with the office of attorney general of Imo state have been gained also.
“Indeed oge agala nga nwanyi na abu gi ihe”
