Fake Products: Son’s Ultimatum Expires this Week
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (Son) will begin combing the nooks and crannies of the country beginning from Monday this week to fish out the manufacturers and importers of fake and substandard products, which it said constitute over 60 per cent of the products in the local markets across the country.
Dr. Joseph Odumodu, director-general of Son, who stated this over the weekend said the organisation is ready to battle importers of adulterated products to submission, adding that they will have no hiding place in the present effort to rid the country of fake products as Son’s officials are all out to address years of substandard products in the country
He said that substandard products worth over N300 million seized by the nation’s standard enforcement agency in the last three months, which were destroyed last Saturday, was just a tip of the ice-bag of the quantity of adulterated products that dot the landscape of the country.
“From the 15th of August, 2011, there will be no hiding place for the importers and manufacturers of substandard products and others who engage in this unwholesome act in Nigeria,” declared Odumodu, who also noted that “about 60 per cent of products displayed in the markets are substandard and over 80 per cent of the substandard products are from the Far East countries.”
He said the only way to be free from the onslaught of Son is for manufacturers and importers to turn in all the adulterated products in their possession as Son would not only arrest them but also prosecute them in accordance with the law.
He had on assuming office, given a grace of up to May 31, this year, for the importers to clear old stocks and turn a new leaf or face the wrath of the law. Maintaining that importation of fake products could be likened to committing murder because of the negative impact on the consumers, Odumodu said he has told importers to stop the bad habit or regret their actions.
He said that he has concluded plans to have Son units in all the major markets in the country for effective attack on sales of substandard goods. He said this was the only way to address the problem, since Son does not have the human capacity to police all the porous illegal border routes in the country.
Dr. Odumodu who spoke at a stakeholders’ forum, which was organised by his organisation to launch the new initiative tagged “Zero Tolerance for Substandard Products in Nigeria” said the organisation will leave no stone unturned in improving product quality in Nigeria, in order to create competitiveness and reduce the hazard associated with the consumption of substandard products in the country.
The forum was therefore organised to educate and inform stakeholders on this new initiative and request their collaboration. Participants at the forum include members of the organised private sector and the business community.
The 6-point Agenda of the new leadership of Son designed to rid the nation of adulterated products were stated as follows: compliance monitoring, capacity building, global relevance, consumer engagement, developing competitiveness of locally made goods and media engagement.
He said that bilateral agreements would be signed with exporter nations to issue certificates of free use in those countries. They will also be required to subscribe to a re-export regime in cases of any substandard products exported to Nigeria.
It also included sensitisation programmes which commenced on Saturday August 13, 2011 with a road show in Lagos. Son will establish market desks in all the major markets across the federation to receive complaints and intelligence reports on fake and substandard products.
Mr. Samuel Ortom, minister of state in the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, who participated at the forum, requested the collaboration of all stakeholders towards the success of this new initiative designed to achieve zero tolerance for substandard products strategy.
The stakeholders include the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (Man), which on behalf of the organised private sector commended the Son new initiative and pledged collaboration and the National Association of Small Scale Industrialists (Nassi), which called for the reduction of product registration charges for small scale industries.
Nassi also called for the patronage of locally made products rather than imported substandard products. Local manufacturers were urged to voluntarily comply with the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (ManCap) of Son as an assurance to consumers of the high quality of made-in-Nigeria products.
Dr. Joseph Odumodu, director-general of Son, who stated this over the weekend said the organisation is ready to battle importers of adulterated products to submission, adding that they will have no hiding place in the present effort to rid the country of fake products as Son’s officials are all out to address years of substandard products in the country
He said that substandard products worth over N300 million seized by the nation’s standard enforcement agency in the last three months, which were destroyed last Saturday, was just a tip of the ice-bag of the quantity of adulterated products that dot the landscape of the country.
“From the 15th of August, 2011, there will be no hiding place for the importers and manufacturers of substandard products and others who engage in this unwholesome act in Nigeria,” declared Odumodu, who also noted that “about 60 per cent of products displayed in the markets are substandard and over 80 per cent of the substandard products are from the Far East countries.”
He said the only way to be free from the onslaught of Son is for manufacturers and importers to turn in all the adulterated products in their possession as Son would not only arrest them but also prosecute them in accordance with the law.
He had on assuming office, given a grace of up to May 31, this year, for the importers to clear old stocks and turn a new leaf or face the wrath of the law. Maintaining that importation of fake products could be likened to committing murder because of the negative impact on the consumers, Odumodu said he has told importers to stop the bad habit or regret their actions.
He said that he has concluded plans to have Son units in all the major markets in the country for effective attack on sales of substandard goods. He said this was the only way to address the problem, since Son does not have the human capacity to police all the porous illegal border routes in the country.
Dr. Odumodu who spoke at a stakeholders’ forum, which was organised by his organisation to launch the new initiative tagged “Zero Tolerance for Substandard Products in Nigeria” said the organisation will leave no stone unturned in improving product quality in Nigeria, in order to create competitiveness and reduce the hazard associated with the consumption of substandard products in the country.
The forum was therefore organised to educate and inform stakeholders on this new initiative and request their collaboration. Participants at the forum include members of the organised private sector and the business community.
The 6-point Agenda of the new leadership of Son designed to rid the nation of adulterated products were stated as follows: compliance monitoring, capacity building, global relevance, consumer engagement, developing competitiveness of locally made goods and media engagement.
He said that bilateral agreements would be signed with exporter nations to issue certificates of free use in those countries. They will also be required to subscribe to a re-export regime in cases of any substandard products exported to Nigeria.
It also included sensitisation programmes which commenced on Saturday August 13, 2011 with a road show in Lagos. Son will establish market desks in all the major markets across the federation to receive complaints and intelligence reports on fake and substandard products.
Mr. Samuel Ortom, minister of state in the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, who participated at the forum, requested the collaboration of all stakeholders towards the success of this new initiative designed to achieve zero tolerance for substandard products strategy.
The stakeholders include the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (Man), which on behalf of the organised private sector commended the Son new initiative and pledged collaboration and the National Association of Small Scale Industrialists (Nassi), which called for the reduction of product registration charges for small scale industries.
Nassi also called for the patronage of locally made products rather than imported substandard products. Local manufacturers were urged to voluntarily comply with the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (ManCap) of Son as an assurance to consumers of the high quality of made-in-Nigeria products.
