Consumers have a right to complete information on the price, quality, quantity, ingredients and other conditions under which the goods and services they consume are produced. It is only in this way that consumers are able to participate meaningfully in economic life and to exercise their rights.

Information is power. It is only when we have access to information that we take informed decisions about matters that affect our lives, our communities and indeed our country. But it is not enough merely to have access to information. In order for information to make the desired impact, it must be relevant to our needs. In addition, we must know how to use information in order to make the desired impact.Merely complaining about poor quality goods or services without directing our concerns to the responsible service producer or provider is unlikely to effect change. We must also follow up on the complaints we lodge with service providers. If our complaints or concerns are not addressed, we must raise them with the next in line of seniority or appropriate outside bodies. This is the only way through which to seek redress and encourage accountability among service providers.

This implies that service providers have redress mechanisms within their organisations. Where redress mechanisms do not exist, consumers must demand that they are put in place and observed.

The fact that consumers have access to information about goods and services does not necessarily mean that information is easily made available. Sometimes, even in a democratic society, it is difficult to force service providers to make information available to consumers. When the release of information necessary for the exercise of our rights is made impossible, it is up to us as consumers, to demand that such information is made available.

Generally, consumer rights are connected to one another. One right cannot be viewed in isolation from another or from responsibilities that come with rights. As such, redress is better realised when consumers organise themselves into collectives to press for their rights. For example, service providers who thrive on consumer ignorance or apathy are more likely to listen to a group of unhappy consumers than one individual. Otherwise, the service provider can lose reputation and business if the group decides to buy goods and services elsewhere or boycott the business. Consumer collectives can also negotiate better sale deals with service providers while individuals may find this difficult or need to develop personal relations with service providers, often over long periods of time.

(sourced from http://www.ncf.org.za)

Little did we know in Nigeria that we are responsible for what we produce and consume, the chain involves all of us, the producer, the consumer and the policymakers. We have overstretched the carrying capacity of our environment through different environmental degradation and consumption patterns, the earlier we key into the sustainable consumption and production patterns the better for us and the future of upcoming Nigerians, our waterways are blocked with satchel and plastic waste, we don’t have the culture to trash our can for recycling, we don’t have the choice to choose sustainable product or service that is recyclable, we don’t have the capacity to develop a policy that will reduce the production of food or drink package that are not recyclable.

Looking at these woes in Nigeria, it’s time to rethink how we use plastics, some of the major long-term effects of plastic pollution are; land pollution, air pollution and amongst the most seriously affected are the coastal communities which will ultimately call for increased expenditures for beach cleaning, public health, waste disposal, litter removal and waste management. Arguably there may be more plastic on the waterways in Nigeria compare to fish.

There must be a proactive measure to curb this menace through sustainable consumption and production, it is estimated that by 2030 seven hundred million people will be displaced worldwide due to water scarcity, I am sure you all know our share in this number because of our weak culture towards reducing the spate of plastic waste in Nigeria.

The united nation sustainable development goal twelve is titled sustainable consumption and production, it aims to bring to the consciousness of global citizen to know the negative impact of environmental degradation through uncultured lifestyle.

March 15th is world consumer right day and this year theme is: sustainable consumer, this is a wakeup call to us all as individual or consumer, we have enormous power, in the purchase choice we make and how we use and dispose the waste of those purchases and majorly on our ability to use our purchasing power to influence the business owner to package their product with recyclable items that do not have effect on the environment sustainability to the present people and people in the future,

We must also influence our policymakers to create a policy that will make production companies produce products that are recyclable and environmentally friendly. This system cut-across all supply chain system of business through the manufacturer to the retailer and the consumers, it can also be controlled through procurement process where there will be public demand for sustainable production as a criterion for selection.

I like to conclude this my call to Nigerians with an adage that says, if the heaven falls it is not on one person but all of us, let us consume and produce sustainably. writting by Aliyu ilias.