The Director General of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Babatunde Irukera has charged businesses to understand the signs of times and embrace the new order of prioritizing consumer protection as the pre-eminent factor in protecting brand, businesses, managing crisis, building confidence and corporate growth, emphasizing that customer satisfaction is the most vital pillar to loyalty and trust.
Irukera, who made this known at a meeting with Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of food and beverage companies who are members of the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFTBE), noted that customer service cannot be ancillary to business, especially in the food and beverage industry, rather it must be the core of business and operations.
He expressed his gratitude for being invited to a meeting of CEOs because it is an important and powerful gathering and it demonstrates their companies’ resolve to ensure consumer protection, admitting that CEOs are vital to customer satisfaction and economic growth.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration recognizes the role of business and their CEOs in economic expansion and as such is always listening to “credible, transparent, genuine, fair-minded, well-meaning and societally committed businesses”.
The FCCPC boss argued that consumer protection was more important than Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), noting that CSR is sometimes viewed with “suspicion and characterized as self-serving in part because the companies have not truly satisfied their customers”.
He expressed what he believes is the welcome “optional Corporate Social Responsibility”, but stated his insistence on what he termed “mandatory Corporate Obligatory Responsibility (COR) which is customer service or consumer protection, stressing that, a “vibrant combination of both is the best possible brand and reputational investment possible”.
The FCCPC boss maintained that “nothing repairs or maintains reputation and eliminates distrust better than fairness to customers and satisfaction in the products they purchase or consume”.
