The Director General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Farouk Salim, has cautioned Nigerians against patronising uncertified products that would endanger their lives.
Salim gave the warning during SON’s Special Day at the ongoing 34th Enugu International Trade Fair on Thursday in Enugu.
He advised Nigerians to check if any goods had been certified with the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) logo before they could buy them.
According to him, MANCAP means that the product has been inspected, sampled and subjected to laboratory analysis, adding that the logo is for locally-manufactured products only as Standards Organisation of Nigeria Off-Shore Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) is for imported products.
“With it, the quality of any product is assured and guaranteed,” he said.
Salim, represented by the Director, South-East Regional Operations Directorate, SON, Engr. Fred Akingbesote added that the trade fair offered SON the opportunity to reach out to Nigerian and foreign manufacturers on the impact of the organisation in assuring standardization.
He assured Nigerians of the organisation’s readiness to be a major player in assisting entrepreneurs in realization of their dreams.
The Director General noted that Micro-, Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) play a significant role in growth and development of industrialization of the country.
He said: “We will keep encouraging and creating enabling environments for the sector to be part of standardization process to ensure that products emanating from them meet global standard.
“Our target is to grow their businesses by offering them our services to ensure standardization of the processes and products they bring into the market,” he said.
Salim hinted that after telling manufacturer what they should do to make their products of quality and standard and they fail to comply to government regulations, SON may be forced to sanction their companies.
This standard, he said, includes services like standard testing, port/border import safety, training/technical advisory, metrology & instrumentation, and product certification, amongst others.
Earlier in his welcome address, the President, Enugu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), Jasper Nduagwuike, lauded efforts of the organisation in raising standards of products.
Nduagwuike, represented by the First Deputy President, ECCIMA, Odega Jideonwu, said that in spite of these standards, a lot is still needed to be done to attain a high level of product standardization both for local and foreign products.
He commended the management and staff of SON for their consistency in participation in the Enugu International Trade Fairs.
“We are very grateful for your partnership with us over the years and for your realisation of the important role you play in ensuring that goods produced here locally meet international standards.
