The Federal Government has moved a step further in its efforts to check abuse of consumers by corporate organisations with the inauguration of the first in-house audio-visual studio at the Consumer Protection Council.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, who inaugurated the studio in Abuja on Thursday, said that the project would help increase consumer awareness.

He said the awareness campaign that would be carried out from the studio and others in the different zones of the country would also enable business organisations to learn how to respect consumer rights more since it would be easier for aggrieved consumers to name and shame fraudulent operators.

Aganga noted that while the advent of industries in new areas like telecommunications, information technology and online sales had brought new challenges for consumers as regards getting full value for their money, the current management of the CPC was resolute in its drive to address critical issues of abuse across all sectors of the Nigerian economy.

The minister said, “The Nigerian market, like all other markets in the world, is not perfect. I am aware that consumers contend on a daily basis with issues arising from sharp practices of dubious businesses and the abuse of consumer rights by producers and service providers.

“Economies are dynamic, and when they grow and add new sectors and technologies like we have seen in the last couple of years, the need for change in people’s behavioural patterns becomes imperative.”

The Director-General, CPC, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, said consumer education was a core mandate of the council, adding that it had already developed innovative awareness strategies aimed at addressing the problem of consumer ignorance and apathy.

Atoki said, “On assumption of duty two years ago, I conducted a baseline survey on consumer rights awareness in Nigeria, which revealed that consumers in Nigeria were largely unaware of their rights and where to seek redress.