Femi Foleranmi and Charles Nwaoguji
The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has appealed to Nigerians to continue to support its efforts to curb the infiltration of sub-standard goods in the market.
The Director- General of SON, Mr Osita Aboloma who stated this in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State over the weekend during a general sensitization workshop on SON metrology services declared that the agency would not relent in its efforts to rid the Nigerian markets of substandard goods.
Aboloma who was represented by Mr Ololade Ayoola, State Coordinator, Rivers/Bayelsa States commended the Bayelsa State government for its collaboration noting that “we hope that with these series of intervention, we shall be able to impact knowledge and also help in capacity building within Bayelsa State”
Ayoola who presented a paper: SON Metrology Services and Trade Facilitation listed the benefits of metrology to include reduction of disputation and transaction costs, consumer protection, and level playing field for commerce, effective stock control, and control of fraud, full collection of government excise and taxes and full benefits for commodity exports.
He noted that the National Metrology Institute (NMI) was designed to ensure accuracy, traceability credibility and traceability to the International system of units of all measurements undertaken in industry and other sectors.
According to him this enhances consumer protection, quality control of agricultural, mining and industrial products, safety control in industry to guide against accidents caused by explosions and radiation.
Speaking in an interview Ayoola who disclosed that there are efforts put in place to tackle sub-standard goods in Bayelsa State through sensitization programmes and awareness workshops added that physical visits to markets is also carried out for empirical evidence.