Why substandard foreign products flood Nigeria – SON boss

By Tony Edike

Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) said  yesterday that the absence of its personnel at the nation’s borders has made it difficult to prevent the influx of substandard foreign products into the country.

According to the body, despite the challenge posed by the porous borders, it was devising a mechanism through which it could effectively monitor the borders.

Director General of SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu, who made this known during the organization’s special day at the ongoing 23rd Enugu International Trade Fair, lamented that out of the 155 entry borders in the country, only five are monitored by operatives of SON.

He appealed to Nigerians to assist the agency in its efforts to eradicate sub-standard products in the country.

He said that one of the ways Nigerians could assist the organisation was to patronize products that have the Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS) certification mark in the case of locally made products and SON mark  for foreign products.

The SON DG added that  the danger posed by the consumption of sub-standard goods to the health of the nation could not be over-emphasized, adding that it was high time Nigeria declared war against such products.