It is now mandatory for all manufacturers in the country to register and get certification for their products before distributing them to the public. This order was given by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, (SON),the agency responsible for the quality control of the goods produced or circulated in the country. According to SON, this measure was to further enable it to control the distribution of local and international circulation of sub-standard goods in the country.
This resolution was disclosed at a one-day sensitisation workshop with the theme: ‘SON requirements and compliance monitoring activities to cub the influx and sale of substandard products in the country’, which was recently held by the organisation in Awka, the capital of Anambra state.
The workshop attracted manufacturers, marketers and stakeholders whose value chain are involved in product manufacturing or importation in Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi States. The Director General and Chief Executive of SON, Dr. Ifeanyi Okeke said the public sensitisation is timely as President Bola Tinubu’s administration makes efforts to turn around the nation’s economy and to elicit support and collaboration.
Okeke who was represented by the Director of Public Relations in the organisation, Dr (Mrs.) Foluso Bolaji, challenged all stakeholders to follow due process in their businesses, saying it will ensure mutual business growth and public safety. According to Okeke, SON has not relented in its regulatory functions as they have confiscated many fake and sub-standard products, arraigned and tried suspects involved at federal courts and then. He, therefore, appealed to everyone to come on board to ensure strict adherence to standards and quality assurance.
He assured consumers of the quality and safety of their locally made or imported goods, stating that all regulated products must pass through their certification and comply with applicable mandatory national standards.
The Anambra State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Christian Udechukwu said the sensitisation was important as the state government is determined to ensure that products available to the people of Anambra State are of the highest standards.
Weighing in the Head of the SON Inspectorate and Compliance Directorate, Mr. Pius Manji-Lawan maintained that their objective is to build a sustainable nationwide inspectorate and compliance structure for achieving an effective enforcement regime.
In their various goodwill messages, the Chairman of Anambra State Aluminum Manufacturers Association, Mr. Emeka Malunze and the President, of Automobile Manufacturers and Importers Association, Nnewi, Mr. Austin Jideofor, extolled the activities of SON to ensure standardisation, pledging that their members will always comply and work in collaboration with the SON to achieve the set objectives.
