The Retail Council of Nigeria/National Association of Supermarket Operators of Nigeria (NASON) has said despite the few incidences of consumer rights’ infractions recorded in some retail supermarkets across the country, its members are committed to giving Nigerians value for their money and not cheating them of their hard-earned funds.
A trustee of RCN/NASON, Mr Haresh Keswani, gave the assurance at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), in Lagos.
Keswani, who is also the Group Managing Director of SPAR Nigeria, attributed some of the cases of consumer rights violations against some supermarkets to issues likely to have arisen from managing a complex market such as Nigeria’s.
He, however, commended the FCCPC for providing a platform that allowed the retail market operators to vent some of the challenges facing the sector.
According to him, the purpose of the meeting was to deliberate on the fact that the journey of a product getting to consumers goes beyond the retailer and the consumer.
“But let me say here that it is not retail market’s intention to cheat the consumer. If you don’t understand how complicated retail is in a dynamic market, with technology and how errors are made, you may easily jump into such conclusion,” Keswani stated.
Explaining the rationale behind the commission’s decision to meet with the supermarket owners, the acting Executive Vice Chairman, FCCPC, Dr Adamu Abdulahi, stated that the meeting was in sync with the commission’s mandate to collaborate with organisations directly and indirectly involved in consumer welfare and business to consumer relationship.
He expressed the commission’s concerns about the level of consumer rights infraction going on in the nation’s retail space.
The FCCPC boss stated that while the commission does not arrogate to itself a price regulatory function and would therefore not control prices, it would however desire a level-playing field to ensure an open market that would enable people display their wares and sell at their own prices.
He added that the meeting with the supermarket owners had become imperative since it would enable the two parties to be on the same page and make the job of regulating the nation’s retail market space more efficient.
ALSO READ: Atiku blames govt’s failure for journalists, others’ kidnapping
