Ondo to Prosecute dealers of Substandard, Fake Products
The Ondo State Competition and Consumer Protection Agency (ODCCPA) has issued a strong and unequivocal warning to individuals, businesses and organisations involved in the production, distribution or sale of fake, adulterated, expired, substandard or counterfeit products, as well as those providing goods and services through unfair, deceptive or exploitative practices across Ondo State.
The Ondo State Government will not tolerate any business practice that deliberately puts the lives, health, safety or hard-earned money of residents at risk.
Under the leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, the Ondo State Government is prioritising the protection and wellbeing of consumers. The ODCCPA will not stand by while unscrupulous businesses take advantage of the people of Ondo State.
Let me be very clear as Executive Chairman of the Agency:
If you are producing or selling fake drinks, adulterated consumables, counterfeit products, expired goods, unsafe food or beverages, or any product capable of causing harm to consumers, this is your warning.
If you are deliberately manipulating your petrol pump or dispensing equipment to give consumers less than they paid for, this is your warning.
If you are producing or selling sachet water or bottled water without complying with the required safety and quality standards, this is your warning.
To those illegally producing, packaging, distributing or selling herbal alcoholic drinks and other alcoholic beverages without the required approvals, licences or compliance with applicable safety and regulatory requirements: you are also on notice. Consumers must not be exposed to potentially dangerous products simply because unscrupulous operators want to make quick profits.
If you operate a hotel, lounge, restaurant, supermarket, filling station, distillery, factory, warehouse or any other business and deliberately cheat, deceive or endanger your customers, you will be subject to the full force of the law.
The Agency’s mandate also extends to service providers whose activities directly affect consumers, including artisans and technical service providers, electricity distribution companies, telecommunications companies and other providers of goods and services to the public.
Consumers have a right to receive the services they paid for, accurate information about those services, fair treatment and appropriate redress where things go wrong.
We are coming after the practice, not legitimate businesses.
Where a violation is established, the Agency will take appropriate action in accordance with the law. Businesses liable under the law may have their premises sealed, offending products may be removed from circulation, and offenders may face prosecution where criminal liability is established.
There will be no preferential treatment and no sacred cows. Connections, influence or the size of a business will not determine whether the law applies.
A consumer who spends ₦500 deserves the same protection as one who spends ₦5 million.
The ODCCPA will pay particular attention to businesses and service providers that manipulate measurements, alter dispensing systems, misrepresent quantities, falsify product information, engage in deceptive packaging, provide substandard services or otherwise give consumers less than what they paid for.
If your business model depends on cheating the consumer, it is time to change it.
To producers of sachet and bottled water, distilleries, food and beverage manufacturers, producers and distributors of alcoholic and herbal alcoholic drinks, retailers, hotels, lounges, restaurants, supermarkets, filling stations, artisans, electricity and telecommunications service providers, and other businesses operating across Ondo State, review your operations immediately and ensure full compliance with applicable laws and standards.
We welcome responsible businesses and will work with them to create a fair and competitive marketplace.
But let nobody misunderstand our position:
Ondo State is open for business. Ondo State is not open for consumer exploitation.
Consumers have rights, and those rights will be protected.
The ODCCPA is strengthening its monitoring, inspection, investigation and complaint-resolution activities across the state. Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected violations and provide relevant evidence where available.
To those deliberately producing fake products, selling counterfeit goods, adulterating consumables, illegally producing or distributing herbal alcoholic drinks, manipulating measurements, providing deceptive services or otherwise exploiting consumers:
This is not a threat. It is a warning backed by the law.
Stop it. Clean up your operations. Comply with the law.
The people of Ondo State work too hard for their money.
We will not allow anyone to turn their hard-earned money into a source of danger, deception or exploitation.
The era of cheating consumers with impunity is over.
Signed:
Oluyemi Fasipe
Executive Chairman
Ondo State Competition and Consumer Protection Agency (ODCCPA)
Akure, Ondo State
