Imo State Consumer Protection Council (CPC) in collaboration with Imo State Universal Basic Education (IMSUBEB) within the week flagged-off a statewide sensitisation and awareness campaign to educate pupils in both public and private primary schools in Imo State to know their basic rights as consumers. It has been proved that ignorance and poor awareness of the consumer’s rights are the factors that have contributed immensely to the high rate of counterfeiting and consumer right’s abuse in Imo State, leading to an urgent need for a broad, focused and strategic intervention in the problem of consumer rights abuse, adulteration and counterfeiting in the state. A Consumer has eight basic rights, which includes, Right to choose, Right to safety, Right to satisfaction of basic needs, Right to seek redress, Right to consumer education, Right to representation, Right to healthy environment and Right to information. Majority of the people are not aware of this rights.
This programme is therefore part of State Government’s concerted efforts to inform and alert the public on their rights and the dangers inherent in fake, expired and adulterated products. Awareness programmes of this nature is one of the veritable regulatory mechanisms to promote and protect consumer’s Interest.
Speaking on the importance of this programme, the DG CPC, Imo State, Hon. Mrs Obioma Okafor, noted that this programme is another major milestone in a bid to protect imolites against the deleterious effects of unwholesome food, falsified Medical products, harmful cosmetics, poor quality water and other substandard products. She further stated that, the key objective of this sensitisation programme is to intensify and expand the scope of our informal and formal behavioural change. This is in order to reach the vulnerable communities, especially at the grassroots. Dissemination of safety information and enforcement are the major aspects of our regulatory work.
The programme is titled: *”Shared Prosperity Catch Them Young Initiative”* with clear educative packages aimed at arousing the consciousness of the public about the various infractions that impact negatively on our rights as consumers.
To realize this laudable project, a joint committee of CPC and IMSUBEB staff have been constituted. The committee has released the programme time schedule to include, a debet competition amongst all the primary schools in the 27 LGA’s in Imo State, both private and public schools. For primary schools to participate in this competition, the HeadMasters/HeadMistresses of all the public primary schools are to pick registration forms for their schools from the education secretaries in their various Local Government Areas while the Head Teachers/ Proprietors of all the private Primary Schools are to pick registration forms for their Schools from Imo State CPC office at Area P, adjacent ISOPADEC, off Portharcourt road, new Owerri.
The Registration starts on Thursday 28th October 2021 and last till Thursday 9th December, 2021. The committee is calling on the HeadMasters and proprietors of private primary schools to avail their pupils this golden opportunity to be part of this programme by registering their schools. The first stage of the competition to select the best two schools from each Local Government Area, that will proceed to the next stage will start from 24th to 28th January, 2021. A handsome reward awaits the winner of this competition.
