By Akonte Ekine
Once again, it is that time of the year, March 15th, when the world will celebrate Consumer Rights Day with speeches and popping of champagne in some corners, or should I say, a time when some brands will publish celebratory adverts on the subject of Consumer Rights.
However, it shouldn’t stop with that one-day statement of celebration or a slogan of the day with the global theme of Safe Product, Confident Consumers. It should be a part of us as a culture in our daily experiences in all we do among ourselves as consumers; after all, at one point or another, we are all consumers of one product or service as we interchange our roles in the marketplace.
In the market, what is seemingly common today is the cry for protection, as you review the market from the physical to the cyber realm; most conversations are about the noise of protection. The average consumer seeks protection from electricity distribution companies, product manufacturers, and poor financial transaction experiences, yet we should seek the value proposed by manufacturers and service providers. Protection is reactionary, not proactive.
The 2026 edition of Consumer Rights Day should start a fresh perspective into our conversation in the light of the fast-evolving issues ranging from AI-driven fraud and unsustainable practices to unsafe products, which require active daily protection rather than acknowledgment.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency in recent times have announced and enforced the law on some organisations within the cable Television industry, the electricity/power sector and the retail/supermarket segment in showing the quality of time invested in ensuring enforcement; however, more agencies should invest resources in ensuring that we are having the safe products. The Nigeria Communications Commission in recent time have consistently spread messages on how to manage data, protect phones, and even ensure that the telecommunications infrastructure is protected, which subsequently ensures that the consumer enjoys better telecommunications service.
The reason for this is that the evolution of the market is such that we have the big threats in the rise of e-commerce and algorithmic bias. We are facing new and complex risk daily, such as data privacy violations, targeted unethical or manipulative advertising. For example, we have been seeing the adverts of Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, Femi Otedola and Bismarck Rilwan on social media promoting stocks. I have only seen Folorunsho Alakija debunked the advert. The use of influential personalities to promote services without evidence of approval of such personalities is growing.
It is time technology serves the consumers instead of exploiting the consumers; there is a strong need to swing into action that will block the reverse case, as we are seeing more use of AI and other technologies to defraud the consumers in our market.
Recently, there is a mix-up in the news that the National Food and Drug Administration Control Agency is suspending the production of alcoholic beverages in sachets. This news was celebrated as a good development, and then there came another version that it is not the appropriate way to go. Whichever way it goes, what is important is that consumer rights are about life and death, and we need a higher degree of commitment to this.
We are yet to hear the last on the issue of a brand that was found faulty on Facebook; however, the owners of the brand made overtures to the affected consumers. We are saying keep the product safe and standard, not selective attention, as one other consumer could have digested the product with life-threatening complications.
There is a need for that bite; the consumer right should not be left to the retailers anymore to enforce, as we are seeing in some quarters, but rather we should have strong enforcement across the country and not only in the urban areas or cities.
Aside from these rights should be part of our daily existence, including even in the transport sector, just the same way we look at the aviation sector. Why is it difficult to have enforcement in the public transport sector where daily prices are reviewed, and the commuters are left to the mercy of the bus operators?
The subject of consumer value is universal, and it is time we act beyond protection and ensure there is value in our consumer experience and not just protection.
The consumer Value is that expectation or experience from Product usage or purchase; it is an anticipation of expected value, which could be emotional, functional, social, as well as psychological. That is the crux of the matter that should be the core of the conversation for consumers as we look into 2026 and beyond.
There should be a consciousness among manufacturers on this subject of the rights of the Consumers in product formulation and development. Running to consumers after shouting on social media should stop; protection should start from the process of conception of the product, with defined values for the consumers. Rather than a continuous show of visibility of the brand, brands should engage consumers with the value propositions, and that is the beauty of competition.
Consumer protection simply prevents harm, while consumer value ensures benefit and dignity. If we truly want confident consumers, our system must deliver not just safety but measurable value.
Akonte Ekine, CEO Absolute PR, Convener, the Consumer Conference 2026, Convener Consumers Value Award and Founder BrandXchange
