In a bid to increase consumer awareness and arrest consumer abuse in the country, the Federal Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCPC), the government body empowered to protect consumers, took consumer enlightenment to young consumers through a national young consumer contest.
“We make a mistake to underestimate the capacity of young people to understand and discriminate. That is why the most important people to pass message of rights with respect to consumer behaviour are young people. It is one of the most important things in nation-building that young people understand the concept of the right messaging and they are able to tell the purpose of messaging and how to discriminate between messages,” said the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera.
He stated this at the well-attended award presentation ceremony of the fifth edition of the national young consumers contest which was held recently at the Barcelona Hotels, Abuja.
Speaking at the event which theme is ‘Making Digital Marketing Fairer-Young Consumer’s perspective’, he emphasised that educating children and minors in consumer rights is the key to curbing the consumption of prohibited products and national development in general.
Irukera regretted that the Nigerian government, institutions and even parents underplay the role of young people, especially minors in the whole consumer protection framework. “Educating young people is an opportunity for Nigeria to restart what it lost in respect to consumer protection and education.”
He pointed out that children are impressionable and tend to form their opinion on what impresses them.
“There is nothing more important than getting it right with the young people. Those who make the products that we spend our money buying, spend an incredible amount of money, time and other resources to research exactly how to sell these products to young people even products that are prohibited for their consumption,” he stressed.
The competition, which was in two categories, consists of the flier and the video aspects. A total of six schools won in the two categories, which had the best consumer education messaging. While three schools emerged winners in the image (flier) category, three also won in the video category. The contest had 128 entries from 98 schools across the country.
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In the flier category, Junior Secondary School Gwagwalada FCT emerged 1st with 85.38 points while Girls Secondary School Abagana, Anambra State clinched the 2nd position with 76.4 points and Community Secondary School Ekwulumili, Nnewi South Anambra State emerged 3rd with 75.7 points.
Ibeku High School Umuahia Anambra State clinched the 1st position with 84.2 points in the video category. In a hot pursuit, with 83.68 points, St. Thomas School Kano took the 2nd position while the 3rd position went to Nature Nurtured Basic Academy Kuje FCT with 81.1 points.
The winners were given gifts such as television sets, computers, cash prizes as well as books for their various schools.
Irukera explained that the role of young people in the consumer protection framework was vital.
He urged parents, institutions and the government to pay more attention to products purchased by young people.
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