By ARINZE OKAMELU
TUE, FEBRUARY 28 2017-That Nigeria’s economy is ravaged by substandard and counterfeit goods is no longer news. What is perhaps disturbing is the continuous influx of these fake products into the markets in the face of seeming hapless regulatory agencies despite their efforts.
Today, for almost all items in the market, you have original and fake products displayed side by side, mostly with impunity, and the consumers have to decide, depending on their choice and purse size. Unfortunately so, the prevalence of these counterfeit products is one of the biggest challenges facing marketing and brands development in the country as the counterfeit “industry” continues to stifle creativity and entrepreneurial development.
The tragedy remains however that there is hardly any product in the Nigerian market that is not either faked or its quality sub-standard when compared with the original, especially for every fast selling genuine product- they are either pirated or reproduced almost similar to the original without regards for standards and specifications.
Nigeria seems to have accepted to be a dumping ground for all kinds of goods from different parts of the world. From toothpaste to vehicle spare parts; computers and ICT products to building materials; cars to hand kerchiefs and towels; keys and padlocks to foods and drugs among others, and even expertise, and this is telling bad on the economy and the consumers.
Ify Umenyi captured the unfortunate situation in an interview she granted the press during her years as the Director General of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) saying “Apart from fostering the depletion of the resources of the economy of the nation, it constitutes a drain on the purse of consumers and it also impoverishes them” Also the Director General, Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Mr. Joseph Odumodu, during the 2014 anti-counterfeit conference hosted by Hewlett-Packard in Abuja which aimed at highlighting the negative impact of counterfeit and fake products on the economy, disclosed that over 40 per cent of goods in Nigeria are substandard and counterfeit, resulting in the death of scores of Nigerians, loss of over N100 billion to the nation’s economy, and millions of job losses, among other devastating effects, in the last 20 years”.
For any serious country, these disclosures and more are disturbing and needs a decisive action to reverse the trend, than just statements, and urgently too.
There is no gainsaying the huge benefits that would accrue to the country and her citizens if deliberate steps are taken to standardize products. There was a time Nigeria had a very strong textile industry, but unfortunately, it opened its borders and allowed sub-standard textile materials to flood its market from different parts of the world especially Asia. The immediate impact of that was the closure of the local textile companies because they couldn’t cope with the pressure from competition. This situation applies to many industries that have closed shop due to counterfeit products.
Besides, there have been incidences of collapse buildings due to substandard products; reported incidences of frequent fire outbreak in homes, industries and offices because of fake wires and other electrical materials. What about fake drugs which ravaged the country at some point, and still stealthily ravaging, killing many unaware citizens. What about the auto parts industry where used parts are preferred to new ones because the mechanics (depending on the ones you use) can’t trust the new parts? The list is endless. And the Nigerian consumers hardly get value for their money as a result and are left to bear this brunt.
However, a lot has been attributed to this unfortunate situation. While many have blamed the counterfeiters for been mindless of the damaging effect their business exploits on the economy and the consumers, many more blamed the government through the regulatory agencies for not doing enough. A good number have also put the blame on the Asian countries. This is so because in the past, India and Taiwan were euphemism for counterfeit or substandard products, but that has changed as all eyes are now on China as purveyors of counterfeit products with the general believe that “made in China” products are of inferior quality with short life span that cannot be repaired when damaged.
However, should we then continue to blame the Asian countries while we exonerate our regulatory agencies- the Nigerian Custom Service (NCS), National Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigeria Copyrights Commission (NCC) among others? Someone once said “we have the institutions to tackle the country’s challenges, what they perhaps lack is the will power to tackle these challenges committedly” I can’t agree more. While I acknowledge that these agencies are doing their best, I however concede that so long as we still have our markets flooded with counterfeit and fake products, they haven’t done enough. More commitment is needed, If not for anything, for the economy and the Nigeria consumers because they deserve the best.
CUSTOMERS’ MATTER WITH ARINZE OKAMELU|Email: okag2000@gmail.com, Twitter: @arizonaija, Mobile: 08034547776
