The Director General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mallam Faruk Salim has said that the agency is working with the National Assembly to strengthen its quality infrastructure to bring its services nearer to the stakeholders and make greater contributions to the diversification of the nation’s economy.
He spoke during a recent interactive session with journalists in a forum in Lagos, saying his staffs have undertaken training programmes with the Nigeria Customs Service on the operations of the NICIS 11, even as SON is also in discussion with the Customs Service for its full integration into the process for operational access and control of SON regulated imports.
He said: “When fully achieved, that will assist us to a very large extent in preventing substandard products from entry into Nigeria without any delay at the ports, adding “this is because, we have invested in facilities near the Apapa, Tin Can Island and Onne Ports where quality verification of suspected substandard products can be carried out.”
He added that the agency has already initiated engagements with key importers across the country to flush out the bad eggs amongst them and promote self regulation in our collective interest.
Salim also said, “SON state offices nationwide have been directed to intensify our market survey activities to monitor the performance of locally certified and imported products in the market place.”
As regards to what the agency has accomplished since he assumed office about 30 months ago, he revealed that the agency recently confiscated N600 million worth of stuffed substandard tyres in a warehouse in Ogun State and seized two containers of stuffed imported used tyres in Port Harcourt.
According to him, the agency has commenced prosecution of standards infractions relating to substandard lubricants, electric cables, forgery of son clearing documents etc, even as it has moped up substandard LPG Cylinders in Suleija, Niger State.
The agency has also seized adulterated engine oils in Kano/Lagos, destroyed substandard products in Katsina State. Equally, LPG Cylinders mopped up from different parts of Anambra State were destroyed in Enugu in February, 2021.
Similarly, six containers of stuffed imported tyres and substandard LPG Cylinders intercepted from multiple sources were destroyed in Lagos in February 2021, while the two containers of imported used, stuffed tyres seized in Port Harcourt were destroyed in Enugu in March 2021.
He further disclosed that the SON Legal Department is currently prosecuting about six standard infractions in courts across the country.
He also said, “We are embarking on aggressive marketing of our key service offerings such as:
Product certification, local and international accredited laboratory services, internationally recognised management systems training services, internationally accredited management systems certification services among others.
“Luckily, SON already has a crop of highly competent staff in various fields of standardisation, so my job is to mobilise and encourage them to improve substantially on their outputs,” Salim stated.
He disclosed that he has re-equipped the National Metrology Institute, Enugu. To protect Nigerian roads, promote fair trade; calibration of weigh bridges nationwide on Federal Government’s directives.
Also, he has acquisition of landed properties in Katsina, Jigawa, Nassarawa, Kano for the construction of prototype son regional/state/laboratory/ storage complex, even as the agency has moved to its corporate headquarters building, Abuja
