Nigeria Content Online

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has given a
one-month ultimatum to manufacturers and importers to remove substandard
products from circulation. Joseph Odumodu, the director-general of SON, gave
the charge in Lagos while unveiling his five-point agenda which was aimed at
tackling the influx of substandard products into the country.

He said that his agenda was to ensure that agricultural products
and locally made products meet international standards. Mr Odumodu urged local
and foreign manufacturers, importers and vendors to comply with this directive
or face the wrath of the law. According to him, after the expiration of the one
month ultimatum, products entering into the country must have a certificate of
free use from the country of origin, in addition to the Conformity Assessment
Programme (SONCAP) of SON.

“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
standards from the producers,” he said.

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

He 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.

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