THE Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mallam Farouk Salim, has reiterated the commitment of the agency to quality in the building industry. He said this is the only way to guarantee safety and boost development.
He spoke during the kick off of the master classes at the ongoing international exhibition aka BuildMacex Nigeria at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. It has a theme: “Building standards and sustainable structures.”
Salim, who was represented by the SON’s Asst. Director /Head Products Registration, Joseph Ugbaja, said one of the objectives of SON is to sensitise the public on the essence of adhering to quality to avoid such mishaps as building collapse and faking. He said SON’s standards are the minimum requirements for locally manufactured products.
Salim advised manufacturers to embrace standards, saying a standardised product attracts more consumers, while a bad one would, at the end, lead to avoidable litigation and waste of money. He said SON has simplified the process and procedures for registering a product to sanitise the system.
Managing Director, Atlantic Exhibition (organisers), Mr. Paul Ayodeji Olugbade, said the exhibition was the eighth, aimed at attracting state-of-the-art products to boost growth in housing and construction.
He said as a leader on the continent, Nigeria should show the way in terms of new technology usage. He also said the forum presented Nigerians and others the opportunity to learn and network for business growth, adding that it would afford the nation the chance to offer to the world our local content.
Olugbade, however, urged the government to assist exhibitors who are doing their best to put the country on the world map. He noted that since he delved into holding exhibitions the government has not helped him. He said abroad exhibitions are seen as one way of promoting a country’s image and products. “The government needs to identify organsations like us and help. It can start by looking at a particular sector,” he added.