Stakeholders advocate joint efforts to protect consumers at BJAN’s World Consumer Rights Day

Consumer rights advocates, regulators, manufacturers, and media professionals have stressed that effective consumer protection can only be achieved when every player across the value chain fulfills their responsibilities.

The call was made during a programme organised by the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) at the weekend, to commemorate World Consumer Rights Day.

The event was hosted by Rite Foods Limited at its manufacturing facility in Ososa, Ogun State, Nigeria featured discussions on consumer protection alongside a guided tour of the company’s production plant.

The 2026 celebration carried the theme, “Safe Products, Confident Consumers,” highlighting the need to ensure product safety, eliminate hazardous goods from the market, and strengthen public trust while encouraging governments and businesses to uphold their obligations to buyers.

Speaking at the event, Olufemi Ajileye, General Manager for Operations at Rite Foods Limited, described the company as a world-class organisation committed to global standards in quality and safety.

Ajileye said the company complies strictly with regulatory requirements and continues to invest in advanced technology and skilled personnel to improve operational efficiency.

He noted that since entering Nigeria’s carbonated soft drink market—previously dominated by two major players—the company has prioritised product safety and high production standards as key strategies for building and sustaining consumer trust.

According to him, rigorous quality control procedures are applied to all products, including periodic laboratory testing of water samples abroad to confirm the absence of contaminants such as heavy metals.

In her keynote address, consumer rights advocate Sola Salako-Ajulo, founder of the Consumer Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria (CAFON), described consumer confidence as essential to economic activity.

She said confident consumers are more willing to participate in market transactions but noted that many Nigerians still lack adequate awareness of their rights.

Salako-Ajulo observed that consumers often feel powerless when companies fail to address complaints, leaving them uncertain about how to seek redress.

While some resort to social media to air grievances, she said such efforts rarely yield consistent outcomes unless they attract widespread public attention.

“Consumer confidence is the oxygen of any market,” she said, acknowledging progress in Nigeria’s consumer protection laws but pointing to a persistent gap in public education.

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To bridge this gap, she revealed that CAFON has developed an artificial intelligence-powered platform called the CAFON Consumers Companion (3C), designed to educate Nigerians on their rights and guide them through dispute resolution processes.

Also speaking, Dr. Olubunmi Otti, South-West Zonal Coordinator of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), said informed consumers are better positioned to make sound purchasing decisions.

She noted that World Consumer Rights Day provides an annual opportunity to assess consumer welfare and strengthen trust between businesses and customers.

Similarly, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye—represented by Dr. Tinuola Akinnubi—emphasised that consumers are central to the marketplace and should not be treated as passive participants.

Adeyeye said protecting consumers requires collaboration among regulators, businesses, journalists, and the public.

She urged consumers to demand quality products and services consistently, while encouraging journalists to maintain factual and responsible reporting on consumer issues.

Earlier, BJAN Chairman Daniel Obi said the association organises the annual programme to align with global efforts aimed at highlighting consumer issues and promoting improved service delivery.

He noted that BJAN, which reports extensively on consumer-related developments, has sustained the initiative for more than a decade as part of its commitment to public awareness.