The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has threatened to clamp down on manufacturers who failed to meet the required products certification in the country.
Dr Papa’a Pongri, Principal Standard Officer, SON, said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
Pongri stressed the need for manufacturers to comply with the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) initiative of the organisation to ensure that only good quality products were in circulation in the country.
He said that SON was committed to improving lives, adding that the organisation has stepped up measures to achieve that through standardisation and quality assurance.
According to him, the organisation will intensify its market surveillance programme with a view to identifying substandard products, their manufacturers and get rid of them.
“People are also branding products manufactured in Nigeria with a different country’s name; that is fraudulent and unacceptable,’’ he said.
Pongri said that the issue of porous borders had increased the rate of influx of substandard products in the country.
“There is a peculiar problem with porous borders not only to SON, but to immigration and customs as well.
“This has been of major concern to us that people smuggle in substandard products.
“Yes, the Federal Government has shut down the land borders but substandard products are still in circulation.
“So, what we need to do is to go round and get rid of all those products,’’ Pongri said.
He, however, urged the Federal Government to encourage small and medium enterprises via adequate funding mechanism to enable them grow.
“Government should fund local producers so that they can contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and enable the country become self-sufficient instead of relying on products from other countries.
“We are making tremendous progress, particularly the Inspectorate and Compliant Department of the organisation, and we had been able to seize substandard tires and electric cables.
“If we have information, we go round and demand SON MANCAP certificate and where there is none, we seize the product,’’ Pongri said.
He urged local manufacturers to strengthen their collaboration with the organisation to enable it achieve its mandate.
