NAN-HE-16
Quality
By Mohammed Lawal
Zaria (Kaduna State), Feb. 28, 2018 (NAN) Mr Babatunde Irukera, Director-General, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), on Wednesday said for Nigeria to attain greatness, Nigerians must always ask and insist on quality products and services.
He said this at a “National Campaign and Awareness on Quality in Nigeria” at the main campus of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the campaign was organised by CPC in collaboration with United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), supported by European Union (EU).
Irukera described university as the best place to launch the campaign to reach out to the general public in view of the presence of agile youths.
“History shows when young people demand and insist, they receive, and society changes and that is why a university campus is a place to perpetrate or indoctrinate scholarship of quality.
“I started by saying that the society is waiting on you, because we who are older than you, we lost some steps sometimes disillusioned, many times disoriented in terms of reflection.
“Sometimes we admit that we can’t do it and the most courageous of all questions is whether we really can do it,” he said.
He observed that the generation ahead actually depended on them, adding that the generation behind them constituted debate on the changes they made.
The D-G disagreed with the demand from the students for free education, and however, said the need was not only for free education but qualitative education.
“If you insist that education must be free, that’s good, but there is something better than free education, there is something more worthwhile than free education, that’s quality education.
“Whether paid or unpaid, a worthless education is exactly what it is, worthless. Only quality education can build a nation and only quality can sustain a nation.
“And only a culture of quality can cause a nation to endure; when you think that Nigeria must unite, the missing piece is quality,” he noted.
Dr Sherkat Malik-Hussain, Chief Technical Adviser, UNIDO, said the objective of the campaign was to promote awareness on quality.
He stressed the need for quality infrastructure to allow for physical development and movement.
The technical adviser recalled that Nigeria had started exporting beans but it was discovered that use of chemicals and fertilisers affected the quality.
He advocated for the introduction of Quality Management Courses in Nigerian universities and institution of higher learning towards quality standardisation.
Malik-Hussain said there was need for training in diploma, degree and post-graduate courses, “because we need quality editors, quality supervisors, quality instructors”.
The ABU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, said when ABU was mentioned, it required no elaboration.
The V-C, who was represented by Deputy Dean, Students Affairs, Prof. Mohammed Dabo, described the university as a symbol of quality, not only in Nigeria but in Africa.
He said ABU had a dedicated unit that always ensured quality in teaching, quality in accommodation, quality in food and quality in dressing, among others.
NAN reports that the D-G and his entourage had earlier paid homage on the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, in his palace in Zaria.
The D-G told the Emir that the delegation was in the palace to seek royal blessing and solicit support of the traditional institutions to make the campaign more successful.
“We believe that people respect and listen to you more than the politicians and that’s why we are here to request for your kind assistance.
Responding on behalf of the Emir, a traditional title holder, Fagachin Zazzau, Alhaji Umaru Muhammad, said the emirate attached so much importance to the visit.
He advised CPC to work hand-in-hand with co-operative societies across Nigeria to enable the campaign to reach out to grassroots and other areas. (NAN)
KLM/AAB/IA
Edited By Adeboye Ajayi/Idris Abdulrahman