By The Nigerian consumers were taken serious with their plight given privileged attention as the world marked the 2026 World Consumer Day, which felled on Sunday yesterday, March 15, an annual day set aside to celebrate consumers across the world.
To mark the 2026 World Consumer Day, Rite Food, one of Nigeria’s leading food and beverage company hosted the Brand Journalist Association of Nigeria (BJAN) to BJAN World Consumer Day Conference with the theme: Safe Product, Confident Consumer at her factory located at Ososa, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria.
The even, which also featured a tour of the multibillion Naira facility of Rite Food brought together stakeholders in the regulatory business of consumers goods and services to harped on the essence of safety for the Nigerian consumers.
In a keynote presentation, the Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, while noting the significance of the World Consumer Day stated that consumer rights are not optional ideals stressing that they are
enforceable obligations.
According to her, that where the pivotal role of regulatory institutions such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control
(NAFDAC) stating, “regulation is not about restriction for its own sake. It is about ensuring that products placed in the Nigerian market meet acceptable standards of safety, quality, and efficacy.”
Adeyeye who was represented by the Deputy Director, Food Registrations, Focal Point for Alcohol, NAFDAC, Dr Tinuola Akinnubi said that the regulatory framework exists to prevent harmful products from reaching consumers, ensure truthful labelling and advertising, enforce accountability among manufacturers and distributors as well as protect vulnerable.
While stressing that consumer protection is a shared responsibility-between regulators, industry players, journalists, and consumers themselves, she said the media remains central to this responsibility.
She said: Brand journalists are:
Translators of regulatory science
Amplifiers of consumer education
Watchdogs against non-compliance
Builders of public trust Accurate reporting strengthens sustainable markets. Misinformation weakens them.
Partnership between NAFDAC and responsible journalism enhances public confidence and compliance culture.Adeyeye however noted that there are emerging challenges in consumer protection that NAFDAC must confront such as:
Proliferation of substandard and falsified products
Digital marketplace vulnerabilities
Misleading advertising and unverified health claims
Increasing sophistication in product counterfeiting
Youth exposure to harmful products
According to her, these challenges require coordinated response mechanisms and stronger interagency collaboration adding that they also demand data-driven decision-making and evidence-based regulation.
The way forward, she noted is the strengthening the consumer protection ecosystem such as:
Strengthening surveillance and post-market monitoring
Enhancing stakeholder engagement
Leveraging technology for traceability
Promoting consumer awareness campaigns
Encouraging responsible corporate conduct
Industry must understand that consumer trust is not built through marketing alone. It is built through compliance, transparency, and integrity.
Journalists must continue to report responsibly and accurately.
Regulators must remain firm, fair, and proactive
The General Manager Operations, Rite Foods Limited (RFL), Mr Olufemei Ajileye in his opening remarks revealed that there are factor that make Rite Food quality processes to standout such as her science-based testing, hygiene and sanitation, preventive food safety systems, routine internal audits, third -party verification, and continuous monitoring programs to ensure consistent complaince.
He further noted the company’s systematic capture and analysis of consumer complaints and feedback, directly driving measurable quality improvements as well as the end-to-end quality control production.
According to him, RFL boasts of Nigeria Standard organisation and NAFDAC approved vendors, global equipment, rigorous lab tests covering microbiology and physicochemical parameters, and automated system checks.
Ajileye disclosed that RFL commitment is to the consumer safety and quality stating that quality is integrated into every stage of production at RFL just as the logo depicts saying that “we are ISO 9001:2015 and EMS 14001:2015 certified processes” while he also boasts of RFL having skilled team and strong quality culture driven by trained quality and production teams. Internal and external training programs boost staff competence continuously.
Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Mr Tunji Bello warned while giving his remarks that for businesses, compliance with safety standards should not be viewed only as a regulatory obligation.
“It is also an investment in consumer trust and long term brand credibility. Companies that maintain strong quality assurance processes, ensure responsible sourcing of raw materials, and apply rigorous product testing contribute to both consumer confidence and market stability” he said.
Bello who was represented by the Southwest Zonal Coordinator for FCCPC, Dr Olubunmi Otti said consumers often encounter products only at the point of purchase saying “every product on the shelf is the result of a series of processes that include sourcing, production controls, hygiene management, quality assurance procedures, and safety verification.
while commenting on the tour, she said, “By opening its facility to journalists and stakeholders, Rite Foods Limited has created an opportunity to observe these processes more closely and to understand the systems that support product safety.”
