The Nation Newspaper

Tag: SON

  • Odumodu partners Customs agents to check substandard goods

    Odumodu partners Customs agents to check substandard goods

    The Director General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. Joseph Odumodu has declared that there was the great need for all ports operators to form common understanding towards successful prosecution of the campaign against the influx of fake and substandard products in the country.

    Speaking during the executive members of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA) courtesy visit to the SON office in Lagos, Odumodu maintained that checking imported goods offshore was being addressed

    He, however, reiterated that the organisation could not stop goods coming into Nigeria since they enter into the ports where, presently, SON, does not operate.

    He said such measures could only be attained through the mutual co-operation of countries.

    Describing the parley as successful, the National President of the Association, Prince Olayiwola Shittu while addressing journalists stated that they came to seek audience with SON management, adding that they were able to understand the challenges of the agency as the nation’s standards operator as well as theirs as ports operators.

    He disclosed that they have been able to iron out their differences and understand themselves better which would help them to work towards collaborating with SON.

    According to him, the purpose of the visit was to collaborate with SON. “We regard this as a friendly visit for us to know how we can collaborate with SON and they have graciously said that they will collaborate with us in terms of training our people for them to understand standardisation and to make sure that it is in the best interest of Nigeria.”

    On standardisation, Shittu said ANLCA described the influx of substandard products into the country as an ill wind that blows no one any good.

    He stressed that as licensed customs agents, they were prepared to join forces with SON to rid Nigeria of fake, counterfeit and substandard goods. “You know we are licensed customs agents, we clear goods on behalf of Nigerian shippers. It is our duty to educate the shippers on the dangers of substandard goods, so we must be able to know how standardisation is done.”

    Speaking further, the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, the only umbrella body of custom brokers hinted that their visit became necessary because of the importance of standardisation to the nation’s economy.

  • Over 30% sub-standard products come from seaports, says SON

    Over 30% sub-standard products come from seaports, says SON

    The Director General, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu, has said more than 30 per cent of the sub-standard products  come from the seaports.

    Speaking at a one-day stakeholders’ forum on the maritime industry in Lagos, Odumodu said in total, more than 90 per cent of the sub-standard products comes from the combination of the  sea-ports, airports and boarders.

    He said a lot of local manufacturers have closed up because they could not compete with the imported substandard products. He said some of these products have killed and are still killing many Nigerians.

    Odumodu frowned on the proliferation of substandard goods in the markets, which he said were characterised by their short-life span, due to non-adherence to standards in their production processes by foreign manufacturers.

    He also reiterated the agency’s unwavering stance on the commencement of enforcement to remove all unregistered products from the markets nationwide as part of efforts to ensure traceability and boost consumer confidence in every product offered for sale.

    He said more than 85 per cent of products in the country are substandard, expressing the worry that with such rating, the country remained the highest among those patronising substandard products, being an import-dependent economy.

    According to him,  if importers and exporters comply with all the relevant laws, there would be no incidence of smuggling.

     “The challenge is on the doorstep of all importers, if we are able to curb the menace of unscrupulous importers then we would have solved about 70 per cent of the menace of smuggling in Nigeria. We need stiffer and heavier forms of sanctions across the value chain starting from the importers which is better than just destroying these smuggled goods,” he said.

     He said  smuggling has had a lot of negative impact on the economy that surpasses what can be imagined, noting that the menace has caused the exit of some 21st century basic manufacturing plants such as battery producers from Nigeria.

    President, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Mr Lucky Amiwero, called on the Federal Government to change the process of inspection.

  • SON, ANLCA partner on goods seizure

    SON, ANLCA partner on goods seizure

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Association of Nigeria Licensed Clearing Agents (ANLCA) have partnered to address the issue of seizure of goods already cleared at the ports on the highway.

    ANLCA President, Prince Olawiyola Shittu said his association had resolved to engage SON as a regulatory body to seek a more robust engagement as a prelude for a useful collaboration in the interest of the public.  He regretted the loss of revenue to both government and importers alike over the issue.

    Shittu, who spoke with The Nation in Lagos after a meeting with SON’s Director-General,  Dr. Joe Odumodu, said ANLCA has resolved to engage the regulator to train his members on standardisation to ensure that substandard goods don’t come into the country.

    He promised that his members will profile their clients to ensure that they comply with regulatory requirements in the importation of goods and services.

    On the appropriateness of seizing goods already cleared at the ports in shops and highways, Shittu said opinions are divided on the merit of the action of SON, adding that as a responsible association, ANLCA has resolved to work with the regulatory agency to sanitise the nation and protect it from unscrupulous importers who import fake and substandard goods.

    According to him, the ugly effects of fake and substandard goods in the economy cannot be over emphasised and should therefore be tackled in different frontiers.

  • SON, moulders agree on strength of blocks

    SON, moulders agree on strength of blocks

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the Association of Block Moulders of Nigeria have agreed that only 24 blocks should be produced from a 50kg bag of cement and not 42 as presently being done. Also, they are to use the prescribed 42.5 grade of cement for moulding blocks, and 32.5 grade for plastering. They also arrived at a particular mix in ratio of other additives which would produce 24 blocks from a 50kg bag of cement, stating that the 42 blocks being produced from the same quantity of cement are substandard.

    The moulders, who are members of National Association of Block Moulders of Nigeria, arrived at this conclusion at the end of an extensive training session organised for them by SON on the rudiments for correct mixes needed to achieve particular strength of blocks for the construction of buildings in the country. The implication of this is that the price of a block will move up from between N120 and N130 to between N200 and N250.

    “I sell a block for N220 and the strength is exactly what we agreed upon with SON,” said the President of the National Association of Block Moulders of Nigeria, Alhaji Rasheed Adewale.

    SON, Adewale said, has been gracious enough to embark on free training of block moulders across the country. “In the Lagos area, we have had trainings twice in the last one year. We know similar trainings have held in various geopolitical zones. So what is the basis of the allegation that SON wants to destroy the industry and send thousands out of employment?” he asked rhetorically, adding that standards improve all the time based on new findings or research being done. Therefore, he further said, when a standard improves, what was standard may become substandard; hence, the standards used in moulding blocks years ago have gone through some changes.

    He is of the opinion that block moulders and cement users in Nigeria must be grateful for the conflict for supremacy among the manufacturers, which in the last few weeks, has led to unbelievable crash in the price of cement, which for years now has been a subject of debate between the association and other stakeholders.

    Adewale said that block moulders are happy at the availability of cement at reduced price. “We are happier with the drop in prices. We are also happy with the fact that Nigerian can now export cement. We are not interested in brands. Our interest and duty are to obey the orders of the regulator. The regulator says the 32.5 mpa should be limited to plastering works while the 42.5 and 52.5 mpa should be used for block moulding and other reinforcement works. The association accepts. Anyone who does not want to obey is free. That is something between him and the regulator. He and others with him should not drag the association into their opposition,” he said. For him, it is mischief to say that using 42.5 cement grade would jeopardise block moulding business, explaining that the 32.5 and the 42.5 grades sell at almost the same price but that there was no doubt about the superior strength of the 42.5 grade.

    The block moulders said nobody has a right to challenge standards set by SON because the organisation is the arm of government responsible for enforcing standards. Therefore, they reasoned, what concerns them is the 42.5 grade approved by SON in accordance with Nigeria Industrial Standards, explaining that in the past every grade of cement was used to produce blocks and that because of the national embarrassment building collapse causes, SON saw the need to provide standards in the block industry.

    They lauded SON for the mentorship, saying “we appreciate what the SON is doing for the block moulders to ensure we produce quality blocks. SON has said anybody who does not belong to the Block Moulders Association of Nigeria will not be allowed to mould blocks.”

  • SON to certify SMEs for export

    SON to certify SMEs for export

    Concerned about the high  scrutiny given made-in-Nigeria goods at the global market as a result of poor quality and packaging, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has concluded plans to certify Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country to prepare them for export.

    Its Director-General, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, explained that this move by SON is intended to end indigeneous goods being rejected in the international market, stressing that the situation brings to losses to the economy.

    He  said this during a courtesy visit  by the National President, Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar to SON in Lagos.

    “We have found that apart from the challenges of funding and poor management facing SMEs, we found out that what makes the SMEs fit for export is not just the product to meet Nigerian standards but also meet international standards. We intend to work with SMEs going forward to build them to international standards,” he said.

    “When you look at the economies of the developed world, they have succeeded in building for the world, so our mantra is to ensure we make made in Nigeria products acceptable all over the world,” he added.

    He said its accredited laboratory is for a specific competence, which boasts of carrying chemical and biological testing for agricultural products in the country.

    “It is not everything we have got so far, but if we have waited for Nigeria’s accreditation body, it would have taken us about two years to achieve the accreditation of our laboratory. This is the first time a Nigerian laboratory is being accredited and it is something worth celebrating because it saves us a lot of cost from our goods being destroyed and rejected,” he said.

    According to him, Nigeria has entered a phase which he called the map for world quality due to its latest accredited laboratory, urging SMEs to take advantage of this golden opportunity to push their products to the world.

    “I hope that this collaboration we have started today we take us to new levels.  I also recalled a hand of fellowship to NACCIMA to forward the profile of 100 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). We intend to certify 50 SMEs to ISO 9001 quality management systems,” he stressed.

     

     

     

     

  • Prices hamper SON’s battle against fake gas cylinders

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is facing challenges in its fight against the influx of substandard gas cylinders in the market because they are very cheap.

    The Nation investigations showed that there is a surge in the influx and sale of the cylinders in Lagos and its environs due to their low cost. It was gathered that marketers are repainting old gas cylinders in various colours – blue, brown, light red and others – to give them a new look and further get buyers for them.

    The Nation gathered that marketers sell 12.5 kilogramme of  cylinders at between N3,000 – N4,000 at Oshodi, Egbeda, Idimu, Ikotun, Iyana Oba, Yaba and other areas within the Lagos metropolis, as against  N7,000 for a new one. Refurbished 14.7 kilogramme gas cylinders are sold for between N5,200 – N5,000 as agaisnt N9,000 for the new ones.

    A marketer who spoke to The Nation in confidence, said that he gets supplies from a business associate and friend who imports the product, among other household equipment from Europe. He said the gas cylinders are fairly used, adding that many of them were produced 10 to 15 years ago.

    The source said: “I do not know the reasons behind the grouping of some gas cylinders as substandard, obsolete and new.  It is like fairly used cars popularly called Tokunbo being imported into Nigeria.  The fact that they are produced years ago does not mean they have outlived their usefulness.  I discover that when these cylinders come to Nigeria, some are in perfect condition. They look beautiful, while others are not. We separate the gas cylinders that are leaking and faded, from the ones that are not.

    “Thereafter, we look for spraying machine and do the needful. After using the machine to spray the gas cylinders with different colours, we put a price tag on them. The price is relatively lower, compared to the new cylinders. The reason for different prices is to allow customers to choose from the various categories.  This is part of the marketing strategies adopted to woo customers and made them buy the products.  We are in a country where consumers love to buy cheaper products.”

    The Head, Enforcement Department, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Bede Obayi said plans are ongoing to rid the country of substandard gas cylinders.  He said the agency has impounded over 5,000 cylinders, which are kept in the warehouse. He stated that the cylinders were seized from various parts of the country in line with ensuring safety of lives and environment.

    “We have offices in virtually all the states of the federation. We ensure that our workers in those offices are mobilised to inspect goods and later impound those that are found to have grave consequences on the people. Immediately we seize those goods (cylinders), we take them to the warehouse from where they are moved to fabrication companies for melting,” he said.

    The Federal Government had issued a directive banning obsolete gas cylinders from sale in the market and ordered that such cylinders should be replaced with new ones. The directive, which took effect in 2014, will see the government outlawing gas cylinders of certain age to ensure a healthy and safe environment.

    Meanwhile, the government is making move to re-start production of gas cylinders in the country. The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Ernest Nwapa, said the idea will help in promoting local content activities and further reduce importation of the product.

  • SON, NAFDAC, others to sign MoU on fake products

    SON, NAFDAC, others to sign MoU on fake products

    All is set for three regulatory bodies to sign a Memorandum of Understainding(MoU) with the Anti- Counterfeiting Collaboration (ACC), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), its Chairman Enforcement Committee, Tony Oghoghorie has said.

    The bodies are Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Foods Drugs and Law Enforcement Agency (NAFDAC) and the Consumer Protection Council (CPC).

    Speaking on the sideline of the 6th Anti-Counterfeiting Collaboration (ACC) and Inter TradeMark Association (IITA) Policy Roundtable in Lagos, Oghogborie said the organisation has presented the draft of the MoU  that would be signed by the parties concerned soon.

    He said through the MoU, workers from the three regulatory agencies would be train on how to tackle fake drugs and unwholesome foods in the country.

    He said: “As the chairman of the regulatory and enforcement committee of Anti- Counterfieiting collaboration, I’m leading and putting together a draft of MoU on  counterfieited products.  We want many regulatory bodies that are interested  in parrtnering with us in order to reduce incidence of fake products in Nigeria. “We are starting with three regulatory bodies namely  NAFDAC, SON and the CPC. NAFDAC, a sitting member of ACC has just shown its committent on the issue.’’

    Oghoghorie, who is also the head of Corporate Security and Brand Assurance, Guiness Nigeria, said there is the likelihood that a single MoU would come ouf of the synergies that is taking place among the assocations.

    He said: ‘’It might be that all these would be amalgamated and there would be a single MoU. The draft is already on. As soon as we agree on the provisions of the draft, we would  solicit for the participation of the  regulatory institutions in order to fight aduleteration.’’

    Also, the Director of Enforcement, NAFDAC, Kingsley Ejiofor, said the MoU will help in reducing the proliferation of sub-standard products in the country.

    Ejiofor said NAFDAC and others are working to together to tackle fake products, adding that there is a Federal Task Force on counterfeiting.

    He said the task force comprises of groups that are ready to fight the menace.

    According to him, the Chinese government is not encouraging counterfieiting of products in Nigeria,  stresssing that the government is working with NAFDAC to fight adulterated drugs.

    “We are on the same page with the Chinese government. We are about having  an MoU signed with the Chinese government.We are almost through with it. Its just for us to meet and sign it. Recently, the Chinese Foods and Drugs Agency came to Nigeria to meet NAFDAC’s Director-General on the issue,“ he said.

  • SON seizes N200m sub-standard goods

    The  enforcement operations of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has paid off as substandard goods valued at N200million were siezed.

    The enforcement operations were targeted at major foam dealers, and suspected warehouses where fake Vita Foams and other products valued were hoarded in Onitsha, Anambra State.

    The exercise spearheaded by the Inspectorate and Compliance Department (ICD)of the agency which was led by Mr  Bede Obayi, and with a combined team of SON workers made the storm in  the popular market, as well as other major hide outs, where fake foams are sold to unsuspecting consumers.  Apart from the fake foams, other counterfeit products seized during the raid were sub-standard shaving sticks as well as other sundry products.

    During the exercise, fake products of various ranges were confiscated while  warehouses were sealed and nine trucks suspected to be loaded with counterfeit Vita Foams and unregulated products were equally impounded. The one-day exercise, which took most of the shop owners by surprise coupled with the presence of stern looking security operatives, was a huge success.

    Obayi who heads the ICD, said  though it was part of SON’s routine activities to visit markets with a view to ascertaining the level of compliance of the products in circulation, it had become imperative to storm the locations in the fashion his officers did because the surveillance earlier carried out had indicted the places visited. According to him, the dealers in the fake products were operating in a hide out.

    He said:“Most of the operators of fake products operate in a hide out, the more we expose them, the better for everyone. We will not handle operators of fake products with kid gloves at all. We conducted intelligence survey, and the fake products failed test of various parameters. ’’

  • Family Family s release of son’s body

    Samuel Eze of Umucheke village in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State has demanded the release of his brother’s body from the police.

    Samuel’s younger brother, Emmanuel, was allegedly shot dead about two weeks ago by a police officer on his way home from a nearby grocery store.

    The incident occurred during a protest.

    Narrating how his brother was killed, Samuel said the deceased was not part of the protest.

    A petition has been sent to the police commissioner. It was signed by the Chairman of the village union, Sylvester Madumere and the Secretary, Livinus Nwafor.

    They urged the police to release the body for burial.

    The petition said: “The police officer, who perpetrated the act, should be arrested and prosecuted. Compensation should be paid to the deceased’s family, as he had people depending on him.”

    The chairman said the community was still in shock. He described the late Emmanuel as a quiet and easy-going person.

    The Nation learnt yesterday that the elders and leadership of the village visited the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Umunze Division, who assured that the matter would be looked into.

    “But one week after, nothing has happened. The body of the deceased has been seized,” our source said.

    Police spokesman Uche Eze said: “We are willing to release the body, but we cannot do this except the family comes forward.”

    He added that no sane policeman would shoot a person except he constituted a threat to the society or to policemea.

    Eze recalled that on the day of the protest, the protesters torched a hotel and advanced to the police station to burn it, but the police dispersed them.

    Recounting how his brother was killed, Samuel said Emmanuel sold palm kernel and had just returned from the market.

    He went on: “About 4pm, my brother headed for a nearby shop to buy soap, but he was shot in the head by a policeman.

    “On that fateful day, protesters from Ndikpa village, whose plots of land were sold, protested the arrests of their colleagues (youths) by the buyer. They were on their way to the police station when some officers stopped them. One of them shot Emmanuel, who had just bought a soap he wanted to use to bathe.

    “We have no reason to suspect anyone because we are landlords to the police in Umunze. We have a cordial relationship with them.

    “The way my brother was killed is suspicious.

    “He was not one of the protesters. We have been neglected by the police. After the incident, nobody has apologised to us. The most painful thing is that we have not seen our brother’s body.”

  • SON offers free certificates for SMEs

    SON offers free certificates for SMEs

    In its bid to ensure that Nigerian products are globally competitive, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has pledged to carry out the certification of products of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for free.

    The Director General of SON, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, made this pledge in Lagos  while addressing a World Press Conference on the State of Standards in Nigeria.

    In his address themed: ‘Made in Nigeria for the world – a transformational imperative,’ he lamented that despite that there are well over 20,000 registered SMEs in the country, most products in the country cannot compete favourably in the global market due to non-conformity to standards.

    He also lamented that most small scale enterprises have refused to be certified considering the cost but said the organization would carry out the certification process free of charge henceforth.

    This, he said would enable operators in the sector to be a player in the global market.

    He said for Nigeria to attain its vision 20: 2020 ambition of becoming one of the twenty most developed economy in the world, its products, where it has comparative and competitive advantage must be able to compete favourable at the world stage, noting that the future of Nigerian trade lies in the hands of indigenous Nigerian firms.

    He said, two of SON’s laboratories in Lekki, Lagos, have been accredited by the United States authority while the construction of SON’s state of the art laboratory in Ogba area of Lagos is near-completion. He said additional fifteen laboratories would be constructed across the country to ensure that products are duly tested and certified to meet international standards and to ensure safety of lives of Nigerians.

    He, said the organization in collaboration with the Consumer Protection Council would early next year push for a bill that will ensure that manufacturers obtain product liability insurance for any product they introduce to the market. This, he said would ensure that insurance companies would be responsible to compensate consumers on products that are injurious to health.

     

    He said SON is ready to collaborate more with SMEDAN , adding other agencies should follow suit.

    The Director General, Small Medium Entreprises Development Association of Nigeria( SMEDAN), Alhaji Umar Bature said standardization in SME sector is a must for all opearator, adding that SMEDAN will not support a compromise standard.

    He said the roles of SMEs cannot be overemphasized in the development of the economy.

    He expressed a delight that SON is offering a free certificates for the operators.

    “ We are delighted that SON is offering a free certificate for the SMEs operators.

    “We look forward for more partnership with SON and other agencies.