SON condemns influx of substandard products, pledges support to tyre manufacturers

*The Standards Organisation of Nigeria frowns on continued influx of fake and substandard products into the country, and urges consumers to be vigilant when buying items as well as report any suspicious products to SON for immediate action

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

As part of the regulatory agency’s commitment to safety of lives and property, consumer protection and growth, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has pledged to support expansion of the manufacturing industry and economic development of the country.

ConsumerConnect reports Malam Farouk Salim, Director-General of SON, restated this during an oversight inspection of substandard goods seized across the country by SON’s Surveillance, Intelligence and Monitoring Unit (SIM) and the Inspectorate and Compliance (ICD), at the agency’s warehouse in Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos State.

Malam Salim disclosed the organisation is willing to collaborate with any company serious about building a tyre manufacturing factory in Nigeria.

The Director-General of SON, said: “We will gladly give them all the cooperation they need, and also lobby the legislature and other agencies in the country to give them the same backing.”

During the tour of the warehouse facility to ascertain the items recovered from unscrupulous importers in the country, Salim declared that it was alarming to note the large number of substandard goods, ranging from tyres, electrical cables, roofing sheets to lubricants, and so forth.

According to an inventory presented to the SON Chief Executive, a total of 2,717 bundles of substandard roofing sheets, 6,100 rolls of substandard cables, 200 pieces of stuffed tyres and 634 cartons of substandard expired cigarettes were seized, awaiting court order and destruction, the organisation stated.

The Director-General stated that as a law-abiding agency, such an action requires a court order before destruction can be fully implemented so that everything is done according to due process as stipulated in the SON Act 52 of 2015.

On influx of substandard goods into Nigeria

In view of the reported wholesale influx of fake and substandard products in the Nigerian markets in recent times, Malam Salim, therefore, urged consumers to be vigilant when buying items from the market and to report any suspicious products to SON for immediate action to ensure the safety of consumers.

“We are not excited wasting peoples’ money but we do relish the idea of making sure that substandard goods are out of the market,” said the SON Chief.

On the team at the inspection site in Lagos were some members of Management, including the Chief of Staff to the DG Prof. Kunle Olobayo, SSA/DG Chief Emeka Duru, Director ICD Dr Mrs Okunlola, D.D ICD, Engr. Enebi Onucheyo, former SIM Coordinator (now Regional Director Lagos) Mr. Isa Suleiman, Desk Officer Ports and Border Mr. Sanni Mohammed and other SON officials, added the Organisation.