The commissioner of police Imo state ,CP Nasiru Muhammad has promised to partner with Imo State Consumer Protection Commission to further intensify the fight against fake and hazardous products in the state.
The CP stated this when the Director General, CPC Imo State, Hon. Mrs Obioma Okafor paid him a courtesy visit in his office at Imo State police headquarters in Owerri, the state capital on Tuesday, 23rd February 2021.
Okafor, who was accompanied by top officials of the agency, requested for strong collaboration and partnership with Imo State police command to ensure effective consumer protection and total elimination of hazardous products in the state which is the core mandate of CPC.
Mrs Okafor said working in synergy with the police will go a long way to strengthen the agency’s ability to enforce the laws prohibiting the proliferation of fake and adulterated products and also reduce the rate of unscrupulous business practices in the state. “It is imperative to note that policemen are needed to always accompanied our enforcement officers anytime they are going out for serious enforcement operations to squash possible resistance or attacks” she added.
She further revealed that there is so much fake and adulterated products in our markets, these products are injurious to health and it has led to deaths of so many people.
Moving forward, the commission has made remarkable breakthrough since I came on board as the DG and with timely support of Gov. Hope Uzodimma, the commission has been able to embarked on massive awareness and sensitization campaign to all the three senatorial zones, major supermarkets in imo State including shoprite and has treated 30 complaints conclusively and the consumers are satisfied.
She also used the opportunity to eulogized Gov. Hope Uzodimma for his efforts in repositioning Imo CPC. According to her, for many years in Imo state, the activities of CPC has not been felt despite its presence since 2003 and this has given room for easy circulation of fake and substandard products in the market. But today, the narratives has changed. His Excellency Senator Hope Uzodinma, Governor Imo State has fully revived the agency, and with that, CPC Imo State are now very poised to carry out their duties effectively.
Mrs Okafor also gave an insight about her leadership in CPC within eleven months saying, “we have created necessary avenues to inform the publics about the dangers of fake products especially to their health. Nevertheless, there is so much to do to sanitise the system and that is why we needed collaborations and strong partnership with police and other stakeholders.
Finally, Mrs Obioma expressed confidence that collaborating with the police in the areas of intelligence gathering and beffing up security during enforcement operations, will help to reduce the high rate of fakes in our state in the nearest future.
Meanwhile, CP Nasiru has expressed the readiness of the State police command to partner with CPC imo State to ensure that consumers interests are adequately protected.
