As the curtains finally fell on 2014, there is no doubt that there is a rise in the influx of counterfeit products in the country. To quote Dr. Joseph Odumodu, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Director General, “80% of electronic products in Lagos are fake while 40% of other commodities in Nigerian market are counterfeit.” People fall victims to fake products every day. If you are in this country and have not experienced it, then you are a rare specie.
Just recently, on the 29th of December, 2014, I went to a corner shop near my house and purchased the popular Always pad at the price of N220.00. Being a product I am used to, when the seller handed it to me, I observed immediately that it weighed very little which prompted me to have a second look at it. I saw the manufacturer’s name, ‘Procter & Gamble’ and walked out of the store still brooding on how light the product had become.
However, when I tore the blue nylon wrapping and brought out the single product, again I was surprised how thin and light it was. The wrapping was in a light pink cellophane instead of the purplish pink coloured cellophane the original product comes in. I tore the pink wrapping and noticed that the content was just plain soft thin rubber.
So angry, I wondered if there is anything in this country that does not have a counterfeit. I went back to a bigger shop and asked for the same product. Just seeing that one, I knew it was the original. It looked bigger and holding it, it weighed heavier. At a closer look, there was a lot of difference between the fake one and the original. Though the two had the same manufacturer’s address and name, the packaging and the prints on the fake one looked quite inferior.
The contents of the original one also were full unlike the fake one. Meanwhile, I paid less for the original one. While I paid N220 for the counterfeit, I paid N190 for the original one.
Confirming the rise in the importation and local production of counterfeit and substandard products in Nigeria, the National Co-ordinator, Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative [ACAPI], Mr. Hanson Maduagwu, said that the degree has grown tremendously such that even brand owners are finding it difficult to distinguish between their original brand products and the fakes.
“In 2015, it will be harder for consumers to tell the difference between the original brand products and their fakes except the issue of consumer education even at the grassroots is given more attention,” he noted
Throwing more light on the issue, Hanson Maduagwu said that the two major concerns will come from imported and locally manufactured products.
“Due to the high dollar exchange rate, most importers of finished goods would begin to order lower quality goods so as to hedge against the high dollar exchange rate,” he said.
Subsequently for local manufacturers, he added: “the higher cost of imported raw materials will induce the production of more substandard products so as not to increase prices or just slightly.”
Basically, he stressed, “we will see the influx of cheap counterfeits as well as substandard locally made products.”
Warning consumers, Maduagwu said consumers should pay particular attention when buying automobile spare parts, accessories, electronic and electrical accessories.
Also, he advised consumers to be mindful when purchasing home appliances, building materials, foreign and local cash/financial instruments, among other things.
According to Dr. Ndukaeze Nwabueze of the Department of Sociology University of Lagos, “counterfeit products are products which the constituents, weight, relevant measures, characteristics, qualities fall below national and international standards. So because of these short comings, their effectiveness, potency or fitness for purpose is criminally undermined and deliberately compromised.”
There is virtually no popular product that is not faked. Nobody wants to fake a product which has no market. You want a product which you can sell quickly.
A wide range of products involved are intellectual and creative works, processed and manufactured goods, drugs, equipments, chemicals, cell phones and accessories, computer software, perfumes, etcetera.
If it is a popular product, it is bound to have counterfeit ones. Mrs. Aina Adesina said she went to the Computer Village, Ikeja, recently to buy HP laptop. The seller being an old friend of hers advised her in confidence to go for another brand especially a less popular one as the adulterated HP laptop and accessories had infiltrated the market.
As she insisted on an HP product, the seller directed her to HP major offices, insisting that the only way she can buy original HP products in the Computer Village was buying the second hand ones imported from the UK or US.
The Anti-piracy Manager, Microsoft Nig., Temofe Ugbona, said quite a number of resellers abound in the country that are in possession of high quality counterfeit software that is packaged like genuine software, “a trend resulting in many consumers who believe they are purchasing software from a reliable source, unknowingly becoming victims of software piracy.”
While reiterating the need to play it safe, Microsoft urges consumers to ask questions, investigate the packaging, watch out for ‘too good-to-be-true’ prices and demand genuine software to ensure what is paid for and to protect families and businesses from the threat of malware associated with pirated or counterfeit software.
Just as piracy has eaten deep into the fabric of Nigeria’s entertainment industry, Vitafoam, one of Nigeria’s oldest foam manufacturing companies in Nigeria, has said that counterfeiting and imitation of its products are the major challenges facing the organisation and the industry at large.
The company said the imitation of its products is a major obstacle, especially in the north and that complaints keep coming in.
NAFDAC has severally intercepted packaging materials imported with the intention of faking drugs, especially codeine syrup. In one interception recently at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, 20,000 units of packaging for codeine syrup worth over N10million were seized.
The Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) has called for a proper regulation and monitoring of pharmaceutical industry and for stricter laws and policies to be enacted with full implementation and enforcement in order to stem out the menace of drug counterfeiting in the country.
A man in possession of 10,000 labels of assorted drinks was also recently arrested in Enugu by officials of NAFDAC, while officials of the Lagos State Task force sealed off 40 illegal drug stores in Alapere, Magodo, Ikosi-Isheri environs in Kosofe.
What to do.
While it is virtually impossible to ensure that all of the products you buy are the genuine ones, a few easy steps can help you reduce the chances of being duped.
*Learn to spot a fake. Do not rely on retailers or the government to protect you from counterfeit products as the people and the products involved are so numerous. If the deal is too-good-to-be-true, the product is probably a fake.
*Shop at reputable retailers. Consumer goods do make their way in to the shelves of even the largest most established stores but less reputable retailers are far more likely to sell counterfeit products.
*Do not patronise traders selling along the high ways as they have no permanent addresses. If you are duped, you cannot trace them.
*Be particularly careful when buying online. Online auction sites are rife with counterfeits and since you cannot inspect the goods first, it is hard to tell what you are buying.
*While you shop around, research the price of the item you want at different stores. A deal that is too good-to-be-true, almost always is.
*Quality of the counterfeit item. Even if the item looks genuine on the surface, a close look at the details will tell you if the item is of a low quality.
Lastly, report suspected counterfeits. If you see or have purchased a product you think may be fake, contact the authorities so they can investigate. If you do not know where to go, contact Consumer Watch through the email address on top.
As we thank God for keeping us through last year and bringing us into another wonderful year, I pray you will enjoy a prosperous and fruitful year. Happy New Year.
