Irukera: Powerful Nigerians Behind Fake Products, Federal Employees Were Detained By A State Government

The Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Babtunde Irukera, has said there is a need to figure out a consequence management system that delivers appropriate consequences to counterfeiters timeously.

Irukera said this in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday night while addressing the issue of the escalation of fake products in the country in the past few months.

“This is a problem but it’s something we all need to get involved in. I’ve spent the past few days talking about it. I’ve spoken with the director general and chief executive of the SON, Chief executive of NAFDAC. This is a law enforcement issue.

“We need to figure out a consequence management system that delivers appropriate consequences very timeously. For some businesses and some people, the fact that there is a possible penalty for criminal conducts, modifies their behavior and for some others, it doesn’t.”

He also stated that these issues persist because there are very high profile and powerful people in the country involved in these wrong practices.

“I know the issue of substandard and fake products is a national priority. What we have seen in the past couple of months is an unusual and unprecedented escalation. But it’s multi-faceted. 

“I remember one of the cases that I got involved with when I became the director general of the consumer protection council was a raid in respect to fake rice in Uyo. We followed that for a while and our operatives from our south-south office in Port Harcourt had interdicted some.

“What happened was that some of our employees who are federal government employees were detained by the state government because the people who were involved were pretty powerful people and because my employees got detained that is why I said we are going to open this case a little further and we put everything together and we got those people arrested. The case till now has not ended.”

The FCCPC boss further called on the general public to keep the conversation of fake products and keep reporting until significant changes are seen.

“Flagging things, discussing it, identifying it, advocating and calling people is also a regulatory tool. So, we must continue, keep it at front burner… it puts everybody on their toes, puts regulators on their toes and certainly puts the culprits on their toes. We need to keep the conversation going at all times.”

Meanwhile, the FCCPC has been awarded ‘Regulator of the Year’ by the Brand Journalist Association of Nigeria (BJAN), a group of media specialists who cover the entire marketing industry and consumer related matters in the country.

Speaking at BJAN’s 11th Annual Brands & Marketing Conference and Awards, held in Lagos at the weekend, the Chairman of the Association, Clara Okoro said the voting of the FCCPC and Irukera, was unanimous because the agency has put Nigeria on the world map in the area of consumer advocacy, rights protection, competition and global best practice.

Okoro also added that the agency’s conscious effort has reset Nigeria’s market and reduced consumer abuse significantly.

This comes on the heels of the FCCPC being named Government Agency of the Year by the Leadership Newspaper for “promoting fairness, regulatory stability and consumer protection within the Nigerian marketplace”.  

Chioma Kalu

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