Edo consumers who have for long received the short end of the stick as a result of the “sharp and unscrupulous activities” of traders, most of which border on unfair trade practices and exploitation, can now heave a big relief, following the decision of the state government to wield the big stick
After a series of unheeded warnings, the state government, according to the press statement issued and signed by the state commissioner of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives, Hon Afie Braimoh, the government has decided to curb such “nefarious trade acts” by opening a 24-hour telephone hotline where members of the public can formally lodge their complaints against any trader found to be engaged in either the arbitrary hike in prices or the sale of fake, expired and adulterated products and services
Hon Braimoh, who is fast becoming adept in the discharge of her ministry responsibilities, later unveiled the new open access hotline, 07086009299, and advised users to make sure that the information they provide is detailed, accurate, and act actionable.
She also noted that the cries and the agony of the consumers who have been at the receiving end of the trader’s nefarious activities of the traders has reached the ears of the state government and, consequently, it has decided to act decisively to curb such excesses and restore sanity in the marketplace.
The statement also urged members of the public to make good use of the hotline to report any “act of unfair trade practices and irregularities, including the sale of fake, expired and adulterated products and services as well as the arbitrary price hikes, maintaining the state government would not spare any culpable trader or manufacturer from prosecution.
Even as the commissioner gave assurances that information supplied by members of the public would be processed and treated with the utmost confidentiality, she warned mischief makers and those who might want to cash in on the open access channel to either score cheap blackmail or spread falsehood to think twice, stressing that certain mechanisms have been put in place to ensure the 24-hour open access channel does not become a tool for misinformation and falsehood
The need to further protect the consumers through a decisive government actions according to the hon Braimoh is also a part of the ongoing MEGA agenda of the Obaseki administration of assuring investors to see the state as a safest place to invest, live and work.
Egwaoje Amarachi Linda, is a staff of FIC
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