Linus Oota, Lafia
The Director General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Osita Aboloma, has disclosed that the agency had spared no efforts in ensuring that local industries are protected from unwholesome imported and sub-standard products.
He said the organisation under his leadership would sustain the ongoing war against fake and substandard products in the country until the nation was rid of the menace. Speaking recently during the presentation of the SON Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) Certificate organised by the FCT office of the SON to successful manufacturers, Aboloma said encouraging local manufacturers was “a sure way to turn around our dwindling economic fortunes.”
The DG who was represented at the occasion by Mr. Charles Nwagbara said, “the exercise is very important in the era of diversification of the nation’s economy to non-oil sector.” He said the focus in SON was to promote market-driven standards and certify products, processes or systems, which is the tonic required for products to penetrate the international market.
“Gaining access to the ever competitive international market is not what we can wish away. Rather, it is what we must strive to achieve because we are left with no options now than to employ all available means to have our own share of the market,” he said. Also speaking, the Coordinator of SON in FCT, Mr. Gambo Dimka, said the 16 companies given awards commenced the journey of inculcating quality in their system, processes and products at different times under the guidance of SON in order to comply with government’s policy that all locally manufactured products must meet the minimum requirements of the relevant Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) in order to protect the health, safety and environment of the citizens and engender business profitability and sustainability
Responding, the representative of the FCT Minister, Mr. Bala Mohammed Liman, said since the launch of the MANCAP award, all locally manufactured products in Nigeria are being closely monitored to ensure they conform with the relevant NIS before such products are presented for sale within the country and also for export.
Also speaking on behalf of the recipients, the Managing Director of Ivado Universal Options Ltd, Mr. Chukwu Mathew Onyeabor, applauded the new management of SON for the introduction of stringent measures for defaulters, noting that SON does not only bark but bites and that this has strengthened Nigerian products in the market today to favourably compete with foreign products, saying “SON is more effective and efficient.”