CONSUMER PROTECTION AND CONSUMER EDUCATION: THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN THE NIGERIAN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

 

Chikaodi Oranusi¹* Omotayo Adegbuiyi², Ebeguki Igbinoba³, and Oluwakemi Oreagba⁴

¹Ms. Covenant University, Nigeria, oranusi.chikaodi@stu.cu.edu.ng

²Ass, Prof. Dr., Covenant University, Nigeria, omotayo.adegbuyi@covenantuniversity.edu.ng

³Dr. Covenant University, Nigeria, egbeguki.igbinoba@covenantuniversity.edu.ng

⁴Ms. Covenant University, Nigeria, oluwakemi.oreagba@stu.cu.edu.ng

*Corresponding Author

 

Abstract

The media role is to protect and educate the general public with accurate information against misleading practices experienced from the manufacturers and marketers of consumer products operating in the market economy. However, consumer education role of the media remains a major task in the developing countries such as Nigeria. This paper therefore, evaluates on education role by the media on consumer protection in the Nigerian pharmaceutical industries. This study adopted a conceptual review of extant literatures. Based on the conceptual, empirical and theoretical review, findings revealed a careless attitude of the consumers towards their sovereign rights and attributed it to poor education, ignorant, poor perception, skepticisms, limited and irregular provisions of information and lukewarm interest attitudes that exist among consumers and the media. Hence, the study affirms that the government should collaborate with media co-operations to embark on intensive sensitization and education of consumers on their rights, and how to enforce that right by making them know what they are losing for not protecting their rights. Second, the government of Nigeria should see it important to incorporate consumer education as a subject into the educational curriculum both at the primary, secondary and tertiary level of educations in Nigeria

Keyword: Consumer protection, Consumer education and Media Role