Substandard products: SON gives manufacturers, vendors ultimatum

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria has given a one-month ultimatum to manufacturers and importers to remove substandard products from circulation.

The Director-General, SON, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, gave the ultimatum on Saturday in Lagos, while unveiling his five-point agenda aimed at tackling the influx of substandard products into the country

He said that the agenda would also assist to ensure that the nation’s agricultural produce and made-in-Nigeria products met export standards.

Odumodu, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, urged local and foreign manufacturers, importers and vendors to comply with the directive or face the wrath of the law.

According to him, at the expiration of the ultimatum, products entering into the country must carry the certificate of free use from the countries of origin in addition to the Conformity Assessment Programme certificate of SON.

He said, “Products not good enough for citizens of the producer countries must never again be dumped on Nigerians because we do not question what we buy.

“We have had enough of the idea that Nigeria importers always request for lower standard products from the producers.”

According to him, SON will also insist that importers of goods and their agents bring in goods that conform to standards through proper monitoring of all ports of entry.

Odumodu explained that after the expiration of the one-month notice, vendors of substandard goods would be made to prove how such goods came into the country.

He said that SON had worked out plans that would ensure that such foreign manufacturers were blacklisted from exporting goods to Nigeria.

Odumodu disclosed that SON would send a bill to the National Assembly to ensure that unscrupulous importers were made to pay compensation for importing substandard products.

“In the new arrangement, the presence of SON officials at the various ports will cease to serve as mere formality, as we have witnessed in the immediate time past,” he said.

He noted that the organisation would also embark on aggressive procurement of equipment with staff orientation to ensure effective service delivery.

“There are some equipment that was brought into the country about four years ago and still laying fallow. We have to act fast and fix those equipment that are still good,” he said.

Highlighting the challenges of SON, he blamed the prevalence of substandard products on the failure on the part of Nigerians to report purchase of substandard products to SON complaints unit.

“If we attain the level that our citizens no longer sweep information of purchase of bad products under the carpet, it will be the beginning of our getting most of our consumer protection right,” he said.

Odumodu said that SON had started meeting with traders and importers with the objective of training them to shun trading on substandard products.

“After these exercise, those who prefer to continue with the band wagon will be punished,” he said.