World Consumer Day: Stakeholders Advocate Healthy Eating

NIGERIAN consumers have been advised to promote a healthy society by eating and living right.

The advice came from members of the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) during this year’s celebration of the World Consumer Rights Day. 

The event, which was organised by BJAN, held under the theme “Implications of Unhealthy Food Intake to National Development.” Also, association used the event to honour and recognise worthy practitioners who have proven their mettle within the Integrated Marketing Communications sector.

According to the chairman of the association, Mr. Goddie Ofose, the decision to join the rest of global community in celebrating consumers was meant to deepen discussions on issues affecting consumers with particular focus on the plight of consumers in Nigeria.

“We are using this forum to reawaken stakeholders in the industry that they have a duty to protect consumers. Our role as journalists is to educate, inform and entertain. It also includes agenda setting,” he stated.

Speaking at the event, Head of Lagos office of Consumer Protection Council, Mr. Dan Tamuno Kambia, and representative of the Director-General of CPC, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, stated that any food with no nutritional value and consistent eating of highly saturated fatty food is dangerous to health.

“First, unhealthy food intake depletes the national workforce. Every nation develops with its human resources. A nation that allows its generations of youths to be hacked down by unhealthy foods related to obesity, cancer, high blood pressure and others, will soon run out of its workforce to produce its wealth.”

Citing the popular maxim: ‘Health is wealth, Tamuno also maintained that unhealthy food intake will naturally reduce a nation’s Gross Domestic Product.

“Majority of those who survive the disease we mentioned above will hardly have enough strength to produce for the nation. Their immunity to diseases would be so weak that their production can never be at its optimum.”

Those honoured at the event include Calixtus Okoruwa, who won the BJAN 2015 Consumer Award, PR category; Femi Adesina, who won the 2015 BJAN Consumer Award in Media; TOE Ekechi, who won the Out-of-Home category; and Dupe Atoki, who won in the Agency Regulation space, among others.