The Director General, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Imo State, Hon. Mrs Obioma Okafor said the council has concluded plans to visit women organisations and religious groups in various communities and Local government areas of the state as they hold their August meetings, to sensitize them on the dangers of fake and adulterated products which have impacted negatively on the lives of the citizens. Mrs Okafor said this while speaking to newsmen in a public function recently in Owerri.
According to her, public awareness is one of the veritable mechanisms put in place by CPC to educate consumers of their basic rights and various Channels to seek redress in any unsatisfactory transaction. “It is instructive to note that, a well informed, sensitized and educated citizenry is the bedrock of effective consumer protection. Imo CPC has initiated ‘3S’ mantra, if you SEE, you SAY, CPC will SORT it out”. She posited.
Hon Mrs Okafor explained that CPC plan to visit women in their August meetings is another milestone in her bid to create extensive awareness to protect imolites particularly womenfolk against the deleterious effects of unwholesome products, harmful food production processes, poor water and other unhygienic methods of processing foods items in our local areas. The CPC boss, further revealed that the key objective of this sensitization programme is to intensify and expand the scope of the council’s formal and informal communication strategies in order to reach out to the most vulnerable communities especially at the grassroots, which is in tandem with Governor Hope Uzodimma’s ‘3R’ mantra.
Describing the sensitization programme, Mrs. Obioma Okafor said the themes for the awareness are multifaceted with concise, informative and educative messages aimed at arousing the consciousness of the general public about the various infractions that impacted negatively on our lives as consumers. However, the programme intend to address the following issues:
1. Dangers of fake and adulterated products. Consumers are to be conscious of what they eat, they should always check the NAFDAC Number, manufacturing or exparation dates of every products before they consume.
2. Dangerous practice of using potassium bromate to bake beads.
3. Dangers in using Azo- dye in palm oil which causes cancer.
4. Dangers of using sniper to preserve any type of food or to keep flies away from meat.
5. Dangers of mixing palm kernel with its shells.
6. Dangers of using formalin on food and it’s health risks, the need to call on CPC anytime there is infringement on their rights.
7. Dangers of using detergent to process Fufu, to make it ferment quick.
8. The wicked practice of using paracetamol as meat tenderiser amongst other practices harmful to human health.
She reiterated that the council expected that at the end of this campaigns, the women in various communities and churches, the target audience would become dependable partners and allies of CPC that will be in the forefront of sustaining the awareness campaigns by dissemination the information and messages to the grassroots. ” Our ultimate goal is to ensure that women in various communities in imo State become CPC footh soldiers in the fight against fake and adulterated products. Therefore, we call on women leaders of various communities, religious bodies who are holding their August meetings this year to kindly indicate interest and send their meeting schedules to CPC CONSUMER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT at Area P, adjacent ISOPADEC office, off Portharcourt Road, New Owerri, so as to include them among the areas to be visited in the three senatorial zones of the state.
