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Tag: fake products

  • Local manufacturers losing out to fake products

    Local manufacturers losing out to fake products

    The Federal Government has decried the counterfeiting of original made-in-Nigeria products, stressing that local manufacturers of high-quality products are losing out in the market to counterfeited Nigerian products brought through smuggling.

    The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh who was on a tour of the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) laboratories in Lagos said, “The experience I have had in the last three days on the matter of counterfeit products is terrible”.

    The Minister’s industrial tour which was in a move to promote industrial growth and foster innovation spanned three days, taking him to some other industries in the Southwest under his ministry.

    Vowing to protect local companies to boost employment he said, “Together with SON, we will protect these companies that believe in our country and President Tinubu. That is our duty. We have to create jobs for Nigerians too.”

    The Minister noted that one of his mandates, in terms of the ministry’s programmes, is the promotion of Made-in-Nigeria goods and services.

    He said he was determined to move beyond mere discussions to the necessary actions that would ensure the delivery of quality products.

    “My team and I are determined that this mandate, which has existed for too long, must now move beyond words to action. We must ensure we deliver, as we get set, quality products will be key in advancing Made-in-Nigeria goods and services. We need quality goods that will be competitive both within and outside the country.”

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     In his address, the SON Director General, Ifeanyi Okeke said the visit underscores the commitment of the Federal Government to strengthen the nation’s quality infrastructure in alignment with the renewed hope agenda of the president.

    Okeke appreciated the minister for his guidance in advancing Nigerian industrial sector growth.

    He said SON as a regulatory institution, is playing a pivotal role in realising the renewed hope agenda by ensuring that quality and standardization remain at the heart of national development.

    Pointing out that the SON laboratory serves as the bedrock of conformity assessment, providing essential testing and analysis across critical sectors, including mechanical engineering, energy, food safety, petroleum products and microbiology, he said these activities directly support the federal government’s drive towards economic diversification, industrialisation and global competitiveness.

    The SON boss further explained that the organization oversees standards in Nigeria. “In Africa, we have the African Regional Organisation (ARSO), which oversees standards across the continent. We also have the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), which is based in Switzerland.”

    He added that testing in the laboratories is also part of SON’s mandate.

  • ‘Fake products still come into Nigeria’

    ‘Fake products still come into Nigeria’

    The Director-General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr. Osita Aboloma, has said that despite enforcement and raids by the organisation, some stakeholders still bring substandard products into the country.

    He spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt at a sensitisation workshop on: “Reduction of Substandard Lubricants in Nigeria.”

    Aboloma, who was represented by SON’s Regional Co-ordinator in Southsouth, Mr. Papanye Don-Pedro, noted that the unethical practice has prolonged SON’s battle against substandard products.

    He said that most engines develop problems because they were fed with adulterated lubricants.

    Aboloma said: “It is our task and mandate to enforce standardisation and quality assurance in all states of the federation, with lubricants as the present focal point. We will not compromise standards. There is no alternative to standards.

    “Substandard products harm the economy, close down genuine businesses and investments, cripple industries and can send thousands to the job market.

    “In the international market, substandard products can weaken competitive advantage and discourage patronage, they are harmful to health, endanger lives and do not give value to money.”

    He promised that SON will rid the markets of sub-standard products.

    Also speaking, Permanent Secretary, Rivers Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Samuel Ibemeru, lauded SON for the enlightenment, which he said would create awareness on reduction of substandard lubricants in the state.

    He reiterated that Rivers is the hub of hydrocarbon activities.

    Ibemeru, who was represented by the Director, Special Duties, Paul Damgbor, said the Nyesom Wike administration would continue to partner SON.

    He called on other agencies to partner SON to apprehend illegal business operators in Rivers and bring them to justice.

    The Chairman, Engine Lubricants Dealers in Rivers, Segun Johnson, said the association had a unit monitoring lubricants, and pledged to support SON to end importation of fake lubricants.

  • Yuletide sales: Beware of fake products

    Yuletide sales: Beware of fake products

    Angry Chief Joseph Wekpe called Consumer Watch few days ago. He had gone to Apongbo Market in Lagos Island to buy assorted drinks for the upcoming traditional wedding of his daughter at Sapele on the 26th of this month.

    He decided to make the purchase in Lagos where he was sure of better bargain and having the choice of many brands. However, after the hectic shopping and usual traffic, he looked forward to an evening of relaxation at home.

    On getting home, he quickly put a bottle of his favourite champagne, Andre Brut, in the freezer while he went to have a bath. Relaxed in his chair, he opened the drink and poured into his wine glass. Tired and tasty, he relished the first few sips.

    Scrutinising the bottle, he did not notice anything. Checking the prints on the wine cartoons, he also did not notice anything. At that point, he beckoned on the wife to taste the wine. As she took some sips, she too became suspicious that it was not really the Andre Brut she was used to that was in that wine bottle.

    Bothered that he had been duped, Wekpe drove to the nearest shopping mall close to him in Ikeja and bought a bottle of the same wine. He sampled the wine and noticed a slight difference in taste from the wine he bought at the Apongbo Market. The one he bought from the shopping mall tasted exactly like the Andre Brut he was used to.

    Inspecting and comparing the two bottles of wine, he could not notice any difference but the champagne did not taste exactly alike. In anger, he went back to the market to confront the retailer and demand his money back. Of course the seller pretended not to understand what Wekpe was saying, claiming he sold original Andre champagne to him, which he was not ready to take back, adding that he had also used the money Wekpe paid to him.

    At this point, Wekpe insisted on seeing the president-general of the association who introduced himself as just James. Just seeing the bottle of the Andre wine he bought from the market, the president-general of the association confirmed it was not the original. From another shop, he brought the original Andre wine and showed the visibly angry Wekpe.

    These nefarious activities, however, do not stop with popular drinks. It cuts across virtually every sector of the market. It affects most popular brands which are in great demand.

    At the popular Daleko and Iddo markets noted for rice, thousands of empty rice bags printed under popular brands are being sold openly and the retailers actually re-bag unpopular rice into popular rice branded bags discreetly in their shops.

    The most common rice bags on sale are Caprice, Umbrella, Mama Gold, Tomato, Arosor, Special, Mama Africa, Italian. As the reporter walked through Daleko market, at Ladipo, Mushin, as a potential buyer, some retailers were busy at the back stalls transferring rice from unbranded and branded bags of Indian rice into branded Tomato, Arosor, Umbrella, and Mama Gold rice bags.

    It was really a sight to behold. In one of the stalls at L. Line, some men were very busy and engrossed in their work that they did not even notice the reporter who stood staring at them in surprise. While three men were engaged  in transferring long grain rice from bags of Indian rice and unbranded bags of rice to other rice bags branded Tomato, Caprice, Umbrella, Mama Gold, two other young men held hand sewing machines and were stitching the bags.

    Further look inside the stall revealed heaps of 50kg popular rice brands ready to be sold to unsuspecting consumers.

    At the market, a 50kg of Indian rice sells for N12,000 while the same quantity of Tomato or Caprice rice sell for between N14,500 and N15,000. However, the original Umbrella rice which is of very high quality sells for N16,000 but importers have since stopped bringing it into Nigeria.

    Also, Olam, importers of Mama Gold, stopped importing the rice into Nigeria since 2015 but still traders sell other rice in the name of the much sought-after Mama Gold.

    Investigations at some of the popular drink markets in Lagos revealed that greedy retailers, in order to maximise profit, print labels of expensive popular drinks and stick to cheap drinks which bottles look similar like the expensive ones and which taste closely the same way.

    At Oke-Arin Market in Lagos Island, a top member of the Market Association disclosed that  Lu veuve champagne rose comes in the same bottle as Andre Brut champagne and tastes almost similar. “In fact, the importer brought it because of the success of Andre Brut champagne. Unscrupulous retailers print Andre label and stick to Lu veuve bottles, then sell it at N1,800-N2,000 making instant profit of about N1,000, as Lu veuve champagne ordinarily sells for N1,200.”

    Throwing more light on the nefarious activities of these traders, he said that B&G wine is another wine which is in high demand and which tastes similar to LIRA wine and the bottles also look alike. “Retailers take labels of B&G wine and put on bottles of LIRA wine and sell it off to consumers as B&G wine.”

    While a cartoon of 12 bottles of B&G wine sells for N18,500, a cartoon of 12 bottles of LIRA wine sells for N10,500. So when the corrupt trader succeeds in selling it off as B&G wine, he makes extra N8,000.

    “Don Simon drinks which sell for N500 is transferred into empty bottles of Baron and sold off as Baron wine for N750-N800,” he disclosed.

    Advising consumers on what to do in order not to fall victims, he cautioned them to avoid road side retailers who can change their positions anytime. “Patronise traders with visible shops so you can go back to his shop if problem arises. Another thing, when a trader agrees to sell it far below what others are selling, suspect foul play. Finally, do not change your customers anyhow. Buy from tried and trusted customers.”

  • Police uncovers route for importation of fake products in Onitsha

    The Anambra State Police Command at the weekend uncovered a spot where fake products make their way to Onitsha.

    The state Police Commissioner, Mr. Garba Baba Umar, said the route was between the River Niger and the famous Main Market, Onitsha, adding that it was through the spot that unwholesome Kiwi shoe polish and other illegally imported products come into the commercial city.

    Umar led a team of Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) to the spot, where an underground warehouse with access to the River Niger was discovered.

    He said the suspicion was that speed boats were used to import the polish and other goods at odd hours, thereby beating the security network in the state.

    The police raid yesterday followed a complaint by a sole importer of Kiwi Polish in Nigeria, Chief Sam Anyanwutaku, that some people were bringing into the country, fake shoe polish and using Onitsha as the main supply base.

     

  • NAFDAC destroys N9.6b fake products in Rivers

    NAFDAC destroys N9.6b fake products in Rivers

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday destroyed 11 containers of fake pharmaceutical products worth N9.617 billion in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

    The products, imported from India and China, were intercepted by Customs officers at Onne Wharf.

    Health Minister Prof. Isaac Adewole supervised the exercise.

    He said although the drugs were essential for treatment of ailments, their chemical concentrations were high.

    Adewole said if the drugs had entered markets, they would have wreaked havoc.

    He attributed the situation to the poor health sector, stressing that if it was okay, people would not patronise quacks.

    His words: “Nothing destroys this nation more than the importation, distribution and importation of bad products. Some of the products do not have NAFDAC numbers, while some have fake numbers.

    “The significant thing is that we are keying into this war against corruption. These products are in 11 containers valued at N9.617 billion.

    “These are products that people need. They are pain killers, such as Tramadol, Diclofenol, among others. Drugs for expectant mothers are in the containers, so also those for diarrhoea.

    “Health providers should work with pharmaceutical companies to rid our society of fake drugs. We should produce good drugs. If the health sector is accessible and affordable, no one will buy fake drugs. Let’s do our job, take care of our people. If we do this, there will be no business for those who import sub-standard products.”

    The minister warned against self-medication.

    He advised medical agencies/parastatals and security agencies on the need for collaboration, noting that the war against counterfeit drugs must be waged until the perpetrators were prosecuted.

    NAFDAC’s Acting Director-General Mrs. Yetunde Oni said 10 containers with fake bread enhancers were impounded.

    She said the agency would rid the country of fake products.

    Adewole inaugurated NAFDAC’s secretariat.

    He said it would improve productivity, promising to replicate it in other states.

  • Saving IT consumers from fake products

    Saving IT consumers from fake products

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has sealed off the office of Nokia. It also and insisted that Innjoo Technology Limited pay N4million fine for selling non-type-approved mobile phones. LUCAS AJANAKU reports that customers are daily being defrauded through the sale of mobile phones and other devices that have no spare parts.

    When French firm, Wiko Mobile, launched in the country about two years ago at Eko Hotel and Suites amid pomp and celebration, it came with several promises, one of which was to target 10 per cent of Nigeria’s market.

    It said when it launched in France, mobile telephony was already more than two decades old, adding that it is now one of the leading mobile phone firms in the country with substantial share of the market share.

    Wiko Mobile’s Director, International Business, Mr Marcel Van De Per, who spoke on the sideline at the launch of the firm’s range of products said from his experience, the youth segment of the market was already responding positively to the Wiko range of beautiful and affordable products.

    He said: “We are targeting at least, 10 per cent of the market share here. We have successfully launched in other parts of the continent having recorded outstanding success in Europe.

    “We have also identified Nigeria as an emerging telecoms market and one of the fast-growing in the world, and as such we are bringing our quality brand of smartphones into the Nigerian market, where data availability and lower cost of devices is driving smartphone adoption.”

    Attracted by the beauty of the mobile phones, a civil servant who simply identified herself as Esther bought one of the products. One year after, the phone developed software problem. It refused to come up. Efforts to resuscitate the phone were fruitless as several visits to Ikeja service centre produced no results. “I was told the parts were not available and should wait. I got frustrated and left the phone. It is still in my wardrobe as I speak with you,” she said.

    An email enquiry sent to Van De Per on the issue failed to elicit any response.

    Another customer, a female journalist, recalled her experience when she bought a palm top from another manufacturer in the country. She travelled abraod for an assignment and forgot the charger in her hotel room.

    When she returned to the country, she could not get a replacement. Reason: officials at the service centre in Lagos said there are no spare parts in the country. After repeated calls, she was told unequivocally that the charger cannot be sold in isolation. She resigned herself to fate and silently licked her wound.

    These are some of the issues consumers of information technology (IT) tools have been grappling with in the country.

    For mobile phones, NCC restricts itself to only type-approval, though the land and sea borders remain as porous as ever to allow the influx of all manners of equipment into the country.

    CEO, NCC, Prof Garba Dambatta said tackling service quality remained the major priority of the Commission. He has raised a team to monitor the quality of service in the telecoms sector.

    Former CEO of NCC, Ernest Ndukwe said the quality of the mobile phones used in the country was partly responsible for the challenges that have been going on in the telecoms sector.

    Last week, the Enforcement Unit of the Commission embarked on enforcement exercise that ended in the shutting of Nokia Office located at CBC Tower, Lekki, Lagos and compelling Innjoo, a Chinese mobile phone maker to pay a fine N4 million for selling handsets in the Nigerian market without obtainig the tpye-approval of the NCC.

    Analysts say the clampdown by the regulator will serve as a warning signal to others that Nigeria is no longer a dumping ground for all manners of equipment.

    Salisu Abdul who is Head, Enforcement Unit at NCC,  accused the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of operating in the country without the license for many years.

    The license, Abdul explained was supposed to have given the equipment vendor the power to operate wireless transmission equipment and sales of manufacturing of equipment among others in the country.

    According to him, Nokia did applied for the license about three months ago but did not complete the process.

    “It is criminal for any service provider to operate in the country without licence. We have sealed the office until they comply. We have to charge them based on the number of years they have operated without licence; we will use our discretion to charge them.

    “All equipment vendors, OEMs must comply with local regulations; the NCC is the sole regulator of the telecom sector in Nigeria and one of our functions is the issuance of telecom licenses. In one of our monitoring activities, we discovered that Nokia-Alcatel has not obtained the required authorisation to operate their services in this country.

    “As a matter of fairness and transparency, we decided to pay them a visit. We however discovered that they only applied for license about three months back and are yet to complete the process for the license. Basically, we have decided to seal off the premises of Nokia until they obtain the requisite authorisation.

    “The license is barely N2million to obtain. We have sealed off the premises and we will not open it till they comply. The penalty is dependent on the number of years they’ve been on ground. We might have to levy a fine against Nokia before unsealing the premises,”Abdul said.

    Reacting to the closures, Nokia  assured its customers in the country of its continued collaboration with the regulator on the matter.

    “The temporary closing of our administrative office in Lagos is an important matter to us. We continue to closely collaborate with NCC and are accelerating our efforts to quickly regularise our licence. We remain fully committed to delivering world-class connectivity solutions to the Nigerian market and positively contributing to the country socio-economic development,” the firm explained through its regional office.

    The regulator had last week too, visited Aviat Network Limited for enforcement action but discovered that the equipment vendor has fully complied with their license obligation.

    NCC also sanctioned Innjoo, Chinese mobile phone maker with a fine of N4 million for selling non type approved handsets in the Nigerian market. It was gathered that last year, the Commission had to seal its office too.

    This development may have also sent a strong message to foreign OEMs in the computer village Ikeja importing all manners of cellular handsets without type-approval by NCC.

    Although payment was done after several months of grace by the Commission, one  clear message is that it longer shall be business as usual for defaulters who fail to comply with the local regulations.

    Abdul who led the team said the sanction has been suspended following the payment.

    He recalled that the NCC had in August last year carried out an enforcement action against the firm and discovered that it was selling devices not type-approved by the regulator.

    Abdul said: “As a result of the enforcement action, a fine of N4 million was imposed on them and their office was sealed. We are in Innjo office today for enforcement action. We have been engaging with them. They have decided not to pay the fine. We have decided to come today for enforcement action.

    “When we got here, they told us that they have actually not received a notice of sanction. Honestly, a letter was sent to a lawyer representing Innjor technology limited. So when we gave them a copy of the letter of sanction today, they immediately complied. They have paid the fine of 4 million and the sanction has been suspended. This is a warning to other phone manufacturers to get their devices type approved by NCC. This is an opportunity for them to get necessary type- approval .It is an offence to sell devices not type approved by NNC.”

    All equipment manufacturers, vendors and operators, including customer devices such as mobile phones and wireless adapters, he added must therefore ensure that their equipment conform to the applicable standards as mandated by the Commission before bringing them into Nigeria.

    To ensure maximum interoperability and affordability for consumers, the Type Approval standards set by the Nigerian Communications Commission, he saidare based on international standards.

  • ‘Ports’ lords sponsor fake products, imports’

    ‘Ports’ lords sponsor fake products, imports’

    The fight against unbridled influx of substandard products has continued to fail because of the of some powerful seaport lords in the country, the Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. Paul Angya has said.

    He said inability of the agency to operate at the seaport is the reason why 90per cent of counterfeit products are imported and circulated around the country.

    Dr Angya who spoke at a Capacity Building Programme for Media Executives in Lagos, said the individuals sponsoring the trade are less than one per cent of the country’s population.

    He said: “These substandard products are like weeds growing up among a farmer’s crop.  It has been a major challenge for us at SON even though we have a lot of initiatives to get to the heart of these imported products; 90 per cent of them come in mainly through the seaports; that is the challenge is caused by a few out of government; “We are not allowed to operate at that port and by the conspiracy of a segment of our society; who are benefiting from the importation and circulation of these substandard products.

  • Ban finished goods import, eliminate fake products, says industrialist

    AN industrialist, Chief Erick  Umeofia, has called on the Federal Government to ban importation of finished goods and ensure the elimination of substandard products.

    Speaking in an interview in his office in Lagos, Umeofia, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Erisco Bonpet Group, manufacturers of consumer goods, said massive importation  kills local manufacturing, and creates jobs for those economies where  cheap and sub standard goods are imported from.

    He said: “Importation is doing a lot of damage to us, so, we are appealing to the relevant agencies like National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and the Nigerian Customs to stop paying lip services but to control and monitor effectively the influx of these substandard products that litter our markets.”

    Umeofia pointed out that influx of foreign goods is one of the dangers local manufacturers and producers are facing, because the cost of production here is quite high. “The power situation, the  high production cost  compared  to the low  production cost in Asia make imported goods from those Asian countries cheaper and at times making our local substitutes uncompetitive,” he said.

    The industrialist argued that if the trend is not checked, many manufacturers in no distant time will go under. He, therefore, asked that fiscal policy be put in place to discourage the importation of goods and services.

    To achieve this, Umeofia canvassed high tariffs on imported goods with local alternatives.

    He said: “It is not too difficult to take a census or to sample goods that are being produced here and such goods; government should have a deliberate policy from ministry of finance hiking the tariff of the imported ones.”

    He said though the world is a global village, it has become imperative on government and policy makers to have the political and patriotic will to disallow the importation of fake and substandard goods into the country.

  • LPG market battles fake products, others, says NLNG

    The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) market is battling substandard products and other problems, the Manager, Marketing/Development, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Abdulkahid Ahmed has said.

    Other problems besetting the growth of the market include inadequate vessels that would bring the product from the firm’s base in Port Harcourt, Rivers State to Lagos, inefficiency in shipping operation and  its attendant increase in  freight cost, and uneven distribution terminals.

    Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum last week in Lagos, Ahmed said the firm,  in spite of the challenging environment, has so far  supplied 700,000 metric tonnes of LPG into the market.

    He said NLNG has  increased the supply of LPG from 150, 000 metric tonnes to 350,000 in the last few years.

    According to him, analysis of the LPG supply chain and key challenges facing  the sub-sector carried out  by NLNG,  showed that   certain problems exist in the market.

    He said: ‘’There are problems  in areas such as shipping and supply of LPG to the consumers; manufacturing of LPG cylinders and other accessories; and facilities or terminals used in discharging the product to the oil marketing firms.”

    He lamented that the flooding of the market with substandard LPG was another major challenge.

    Ahmed said LPG is in  short supply in the country,because there is shortage of terminals to discharge the product to end users.

    ‘’The  jetties or terminals used for LPG are not many,  coupled with the fact that there is shortage of promoters in the sub-sector. “Though there is improvement in the environment  in which the  operators  operate, more needs to be done to develop the market,‘’ he added.

    He said there is no functional cylinder manufacturing plant in the country, stressing that the issue has resulted in the importation of cylinders and other accessories into the country.

    Ahmed said funding has constrained the capacity of  Nigerians to invest in production of  cylinders and other accessories locally.

  • Govt directs SON to reduce fake products to 15%

    Govt directs SON to reduce fake products to 15%

    The Federal Government has ordered the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to reduce substandard products to 15 per cent by next year .

    Speaking during the donation of gifts to SON by Intertek Limited to mark the 10th year anniversary of SON Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) in Lagos, the Director-General of SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu said importers of sub-standard products will henceforth be sent to jail, adding that SON has been empowered  by the Federal Government.

    Odumodu said the new SON Act of 2015, that gave agency the power to prosecute offenders can be effective if importers of harmful sub-standard products are  prosecuted and jailed for sabotaging the economy.

    Odumodu said the Act also gives the agency the power to force importers and manufacturers  to create a database of every products in the market, which would be helped by the Electronic Products Registration (EPR) that has been embarked upon by the agency. He said:  ‘’It is not enough to say we have destroyed goods worth billions of naira; we also want to know who brought them into the country hence we are keeping a database.

    ‘’We are also building a new laboratory that would have sample reference offices and all it does is to keep pictures of bad products sample and when President Muhammadu  Buhari  goes to China and other countries within the area in the first quarter of next year, we would show the government there, present them that this are companies that we want to blacklist, they should not bring  their products into the country and also for our own people bringing in the products into Nigeria,we now want to send them to jail,’’he  said.

    He said by 2016, inferior goods would have fallen under 15 per cent as the standards body is doing a lot to nip it in the bud, with the active collaboration of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). ‘’Our collaboration is beautiful, yielding results as what I see today is a massive reduction in corruption as we make sure we reduce the human element  in the interaction we have with the public. By 2016,people would rejoice with SON,’’ he said.