The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) in collaboration with can food drink, water and container producing companies and other stakeholders yesterday adopted key principles to protect Nigerian consumers.

Speaking yesterday at a meeting in Lagos to commemorate the 2020 World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD), the Chief Executive Officer of FCCPC, Babatunde Irukare, noted that sustainable consumption was a multi-stakeholder task where “government, business operators as well as consumers must join hands to positively change the narrative to one that will not only safeguard the environment, but also enhance the welfare of consumers.”

The WCRD had as theme, ‘Attaining sustaining consumption in Nigeria’.Irukare said it was apt considering the COVID 19 pandemic, adding: “Nigeria moved from complacent gratitude to gratuitous apprehension.”

The resolution states: “Encourage consumers to recycle; encourage consumers to purchase recyclable products; encourage the farm to fork principle.”

The gathering also resolved that the guidelines would “promote development and use of international health standards with respect to their patterns, practices and systems and progressively improve land and soil quality; promote awareness of the benefit of environmental, social and economically sustainable consumption to preserve the environment now and for the future, among others.”

able claims and deploy appropriate technology to encourage environmentally friendly products and services to avoid waste.”

The meeting also impressed it on parties to commit to a broad-based stakeholder engagement to further promote and develop the key principles and business guidelines having recognised the urgency to develop the process in time.

Irukare expressed optimism about the consensus noting: “This resolution would form the framework for which we would issue business guidance and the basis of a more robust mandatory regulatory framework. Before this time next year, we would have a strong regulatory framework around how businesses operate and how consumers approach the question of sustainability.”

He pointed out that sustainable consumption is a matter of urgency for Nigeria than it is to China, as Nigeria lacks sufficient infrastructure to care for victims. According to him, “our culture and infrastructure are not designed to respond as robustly, hence the timeliness of this meeting.”

The CEO laments the poor waste management scheme in Nigeria.