SON draws battle-line with importers, manufacturers of substandard goods
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) says it is ready to combat the production and importation of fake and sub-standard products in the country.
Speaking during an oversight visit by Abubakar Moriki, chairman, House Committee on Industry, Osita Aboloma, director-general, SON, said the battle-line has been drawn against sub-standard goods in the country.
“We want to resolve and reduce the importation of substandard goods. With the full support of the National Assembly, the days of substandard goods destroying lives and property are numbered. We have the full support of the National Assembly. All we want is for major stakeholders to key into this battle so that SON will be able to improve the lives of Nigerians through standards,”Aboloma said.
He assured Nigerians that the standards body would not relent on its efforts to ensure that Nigerians are protected against the negative impact of substandard goods.
Abubakar Moriki, who led an eight-man delegate during an oversight function to inspect the level of implementation of the 2017 budgetary allocation to SON, expressed satisfaction over the judicious and effective use of the funds by agency, assuring that laws that strengthen the standards body to carry out its responsibility would be put in place.
“If there is a need to amend the extant laws regulating the agency to make you work 100 per cent, we will look at that because the lives and property of Nigerians must be secured. We want to commend you for your tireless efforts in protecting the lives of Nigerians. We are very impressed and we can tell Nigerians that any product that comes into the country after undergoing certification processes at your office before going into the market is safe for consumption or industrial use,” Moriki said.
The delegates were taken to a warehouse where 68 containers of substandard tyres were seized by SON as part of its effort to ensure that the unsuspecting Nigerian consumers get value for money spent.
”We are here to make sure that the seized goods being taken away from the market are secured because when we seal up a place, it remains sealed. We are here on a fact-finding mission with members of the House of Representatives to assure Nigerians that we are on top of the situation in addressing the spate of substandard goods in the country. No matter the power of the culprits behind this illicit trade or the volume of the containers, the war against substandard goods is real and we are fully ready to win the war,” Aboloma said.
Bede Obayi, director, Inspectorate and Compliance, SON, said its one-stop shop office at Apapa was established to ensure that both locally and imported products comply fully with the requirement of the Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS) set for those products.
He added the essence of its one-stop office is to be every close to the nation’s seaports where the response time can be fully reduced in cases of enforcement and monitoring.
The House of Representatives team visited the SON’s ultra-modern laboratory complex at Ogba area of Lagos, its operational headquarters office at Lekki and its one-stop shop office for maritime operations, electronic products registration, SONCAP services and enforcement at Apapa.
The House of Representatives also commended SON for the level of work done so far to complete the construction of its state-of-the-art laboratory complex at Ogba area of Lagos as it nears completion.
The head of the delegation said, “We are happy with the level of progress which was achieved even though it is not 100 per cent ready. We will be further briefed by SON where we will see performance report in terms of 2017 appropriation. We want to know what exactly you need, so that this place will be completed in few weeks’ time.”
ODINAKA ANUDU & ANGEL JAMES