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Tag: Standards Organisation of Nigeria

  • ‘How to end building collapse in Niger Delta’

    In the crude oil and gas-rich Niger Delta and other parts of Nigeria buildings still collapse.

    Experts insist that with the right mix of cement with other components to produce standard vibrated blocks and concrete; the use of high quality cement and other building materials, an end to the ugly phenomenon will be realised. They also maintain that the menace has led to the loss of lives of many innocent persons and property worth billions of naira lost.

    While speaking at the third BUA Cement’s workshop for stakeholders in Port Harcourt, Rivers State penultimate week, the Regional Coordinator, South-south of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Alhaji Abubakar Babaji, stated that it would be impossible to talk about quality, without considering standards. He urged the stakeholders to always place emphasis on training and retraining.

    The workshop, which was aimed at reducing building collapse in the country, had as its theme “Optimising Cement Usage to Achieve Better Quality and Yields of Block,” and was organised in collaboration with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and SON.

    Some top officials of Obu Cement Company Limited, makers of BUA Cement attended the workshop from the Okpella, Edo State base.

    Present at the event were Area Manager/Deputy Director, ITF, Port Harcourt, Iwunze Amaka; General Manager, Sales and Marketing, BUA Cement, Nasiru Ladan; Quality Control Manager, BUA Cement, Adeyinka Adesola; Terminal Manager, BUA Ports and Terminals, Rasheed Ogunade and Regional Manager, BUA Cement, Abiola Akarolo.

    At the end of the workshop, blocks and concrete makers were presented with BUA Cement’s branded working equipment.

    Alhaji Babaji said: “Block is not the only component of building. We also have iron rods, cement and water, among others. Water for construction and block making must be clean, just like the drinking water. If you use salty water, it may cause problems. Not only blocks are responsible for collapse of buildings, but they contribute. Standard is about minimum requirement. Block makers must always follow the standard.

    “SON encourages businesses to grow by reducing charges to industries. This is because we want to encourage them to work, since we are not after revenue. We want to serve the nation by ensuring that standards are maintained. We place more emphasis on sensitisation/correction than clamping down on individuals or organisations that refuse to adhere to standards. We do not like to destroy products, but we do not compromise on adherence to standards.”

    Babaji also admonished Nigerians to always engage professionals in construction works and never to patronise quacks to avoid building collapse, stressing that vibrated blocks are much better that hand-made ones.

    Also speaking, SON’s Head of Civil and Building Construction Department, Mrs. Edith Fiberesima advised that blocks should not be moulded at the mercy of the sun, but under shade, with water to be sprayed on moulded blocks the next morning, in order to harden properly.

    While speaking at the workshop, Ladan pledged the commitment of BUA in producing high quality cement, which he said would help to achieve better quality of blocks and other products.

    He said: “Port Harcourt has always been our home. We began from here and we became popular, strictly because of the quality of BUA Cement. It is one thing to have good cement; it is another to mix it properly in combination with other materials.

    “With the issue of building collapse in Nigeria, various researches show that it is as a result of either not using the right cement or bad mix. So, we are here to let the block makers know the right mix of cement with the right materials to produce the highest quality blocks for public use. When good blocks and concrete are produced, the issue of building collapse would have been properly addressed.

    “Currently, we are at the verge of completing our second line in Okpella, Edo State. With the second line operational, you are assured that there will be increase in cement production and supply to Rivers State and other neighbouring states, to satisfy the demands of the people.”

    Ladan also described BUA Cement as the king of strength/the king of cement, which according to him, sets faster with unsurpassed yield.

    Ladan noted that regular workshops and interactions were not only with the block makers, but distributors and retailers of BUA Cement also benefiting. This, he said, is to ensure adherence to standard and quality. He described competition as the beauty of any business, with open market to benefit all the stakeholders, while the producers of cement would always give the best to the end users in terms of quality, price and distribution. He added: “The more competition you have, the better for the general public and the economy.”

    The general manager also identified electricity and transportation as major challenges facing the cement industry. He, however, maintained that the quality of BUA Cement is exceptional.

    Also speaking, the Quality Control Manager of BUA Cement, Adesola, revealed that the unique selling point of BUA Cement is its quality. He warned that the sand for block making must not be clay, dirty and should not have organic matter; clean water should also be used, adding that if hollowed block is too thin, it might lead to building collapse. He recommended standard moulds.

    Area Manager of ITF noted that the agency was established in 1971 by the regime of Gen. Yakubu Gowon to train Nigerians in order to be able to take over the mantle of leadership, particularly for capacity building.

    Amaka also urged Nigerian leaders to always follow their words with actions, even as she called on the people to embrace change, since the world is now a global village.

    The Head of Accounts of ITF, Kennedy Odisika, called on Nigerians to always insist on high quality, saying: “The first enemy of your business is your lifestyle. If you are not disciplined, nothing works. You must have passion for your business. Consider your attitude to your customers. No worker is too bad that you cannot manage.”

    A seller of cement/block maker, Mr. Christopher Okoro, said BUA Cement is the best as he has used it for many years.

    Another block maker, Mrs. Blessing Eke, described the event as rewarding, even as she suggested that it should be held regularly.

  • Fresh standards to drive non-oil sector

    To enhance the quality of locally made goods, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has unveiled additional 879 standards. According to experts, this will aid the non-oil export drive, Assistant Editor OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports.

    It’s a game-changing initiative. For Nigeria, which has been seeking to speed up the rejuvenation of the non-oil export sector, the unveiling of 879 new standards by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) promises to change the non-oil sector’s narrative.

    For one, the initiative is aimed at encouraging the improvement of quality standards in locally-manufactured goods. And in the thinking of SON and, indeed, other stakeholders, it is perhaps the much-needed tonic to turn around the fortunes of the non-oil sector, where poor quality and standards remained clogs in the wheel.

    The strategic intervention by SON is a welcome development capable of making Nigerian products competitive locally and at the international market by improving certificate processing for exporters and local manufacturers especially in the agric sector.

    The move is a major boost to the Federal Government’s efforts at leveraging a vibrant non-oil oil sector to reboot an economy still battling to fully and sustainably exit its worst recession in history.

    This is so considering that a robust non-oil sector, according to experts, is fundamental to economic diversification, rapid revenue base expansion, sustainable growth and employment generation. More importantly, the initiative raises hopes of ending the embarrassing rejection of Nigeria’s exports because of poor standards.

    SON Director General Mr. Osita Aboloma put this in perspective when he said the 879 new standards would ensure that agricultural goods exported or embargoed by developed economies are not returned because of high level of pesticides, poor quality and improper handling.

    Aboloma stated this in Lagos, penultimate week, when he unveiled the additional 379 standards to the initial 500 approved by the agency. He noted that SON would continue to support the Federal Government’s efforts at growing the non-oil sector to drive the economy.

    He specifically said an important item in the new standards was for beans planting, soil quality, transportation and preservation. He noted that gone are the days when  locally produced beans would be returned by the European Union (EU) because of poor quality, as the gaps have been identified and corrected.

    Aboloma’s words must be heart-warming to the government and operators in the non-oil sector. This is so considering the series of rejection of Nigeria’s exportts, particularly beans, by the EU and other importing countries.

    The EU in June 2015 banned the importation of Nigeria’s dried beans because it contained high level of pesticides dangerous to human health. This came after the Republic of Ireland also rejected and returned five containers of beans exported from Nigeria.

    The products were said to have been received with heaps of weevils, an embarrassing development that put relevant government agencies, including SON on their toes. The agency said they were working to get the EU to lift the ban. But the European body was not impressed by measures taken by Nigeria to resolve the issue.

    Accordingly, the EU extended the ban by another three years, citing the continued presence of dichlorvos (pesticide) in dried beans imported from Nigeria.

    “The continued presence of dichlorvos (pesticide) in dried beans imported from Nigeria and maximum residue levels of pesticides shows that compliance with food law requirement as regards pesticide residual cannot be achieved in the short term.

    “The duration of the importation prohibition should therefore, be extended for an additional period of three years to allow Nigeria implement the appropriate risk-management measure and provide required guarantees,” the EU said.

    For Nigeria currently struggling to boost non-oil export and diversify its economy, the extension of the ban was a blow below the belt. However, while Nigeria was still rattled by the extension of the ban, the US added to her woes by banning the importation of Nigeria’s cocoa into its market.

    The US authorities are said to have taken the action because Nigeria’s cocoa did not satisfy the standard required for exportation into the US.

    It was a national embarrassment, but a new dawn may have emerged courtesy of SON’s latest intervention. According to Aboloma, who was represented by SON Director, Standards Development, Mrs Chinyere Egwuonwu, the new standards were products of working on the value chain, codes and guidelines with critical stakeholders.

    The collaboration with stakeholders, he said, was aimed at arriving at internationally acceptable quality standards while rebooting the economy and creating wealth for farmers, exporters and manufacturers.

    Noting that the standards are inclusive of harvest and post-harvest guidelines, in addition to transportation, Aboloma regretted the high level of rejection of agricultural products outside the country as due to poor processes and procedures.

    His words: “We have observed that there are issues with our agric produce as a result of wrong application of pesticides, using the wrong vehicle such as ones used to transport chemicals, fertiliser.

    “We are also going to achieve procedural certification for people who can key into the programme made for excellence in local manufacturing by awarding them a logo that will distinguish them from non compliant organisations.”

    According to Aboloma, the organisation under his watch has grown and achieved a great success to the extent of achieving a global standard in garri, a staple food.

    He added that CODEX, the international body for standard collection of drug formulae and descriptions, has adopted the standards for garri as formulated by SON globally.

    On the issue of implementation, the SON boss said it would be all-encompassing, as government agencies and relevant stakeholders have been adequately mobilised and carried along in the formation of the policies.

    Apparently aware of the place of exporters in the new dawn in the non-oil sector, the Director, Laboratory Services, SON, Mrs Mojisola Kehinde, encouraged exporters and manufacturers to take advantage of the newly-enlarged SON laboratory in Ogba, Lagos. She added that the agency’s testing capacity has been greatly enhanced.

    Head, Micro-Nutrient Laboratory, Mrs Talatu Ethan, advised consumers to desist from patronising any brand of sugar, salt and vegetable oil that does not have the eye logo with vitamin A fortification. She stressed that SON was geared towards achieving a healthy population through standards.

  • SON, stakeholders explore metrology

    Stakeholders across the country and beyond gathering in Enugu State for the 12th Africa Metrology System (AFRIMETS) General Assembly have sought to explore the benefits of metrology, a science of measurement, in order to boost trade in the continent.

    Over 25 African countries attended the event, which was hosted by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and targeted at ensuring a significant increase in the low level of trade between African countries through the deployment of metrological infrastructure, a vision also shared by SON.

    The gathering was in tandem with the plans by the SON to boost trade within the region through metrology. The agency used the occasion to stress the imperatives of developing, strengthening and upgrading the national metrological infrastructure to facilitate trade, enhance export, accelerate economic development and protect the environment.

    At the forum, Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi disclosed that his administration is in full support of the SON to deliver on its core mandate, especially the agency’s huge investment in the establishment of a National Metrological Institute (NMI) in Enugu, the state capital.

    The governor, while admitting that the importance of metrology cannot be overemphasised, as it helps to bring about uniformity in trade and serves as a mechanism to ensure that the unsuspecting Nigerian consumers and Africans at large are not shortchanged.

    ”As a government, we will continue to pledge our necessary support and assistance towards the attainment of SON’s quest to rid Nigeria of sub-standard products. We have seen that the road leading to the institute is bad and we will definitely do something about the road, because we believe in this project to bring about the much needed development in the State,” he said.

    The Director General (DG), SON, Osita Aboloma, while thanking the federal government for committing huge resources to human capacity development in metrology and instrumentation, disclosed that the agency, in the last couple of years, has made concerted efforts aimed at creating awareness on metrology services and its benefits to the nation’s economy, including to the welfare of her citizens. The hosting of the AFRIMETS forum, he added, serves as a further boost to stakeholders’ awareness of the benefits of metrology to Nigeria and the African continent as a whole.

    Nigeria’s membership of AFRIMETS and other continental and global standardisation bodies, Aboloma said, has been a deliberate effort in ensuring that the nation participates actively in inter-laboratory comparisons amongst National Institutes of Metrology (NMIs).

    The DG revealed that in the last three decades, SON, with support from the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) and encouragement from its development partners like United Nations Development Organisation (UNIDO), have made huge investments in developing human capacities in the field of metrology.

    In similar vein, a former DG of the agency, Joseph Odumodu, said that standardisation must co-habit with metrology, accreditation and conformity assessment. “This project is a dream come true, and I can tell you that Africa will benefit immensely from this project because Nigeria is a very large economy. This National Metrology Institute will provide services even beyond Nigeria. This project, as soon as it takes off, will actually begin to show that Nigeria has come of age as an industrialised economy.”

    The Chairman, AFRIMETS, Mr. Denis Maturi, said the thrust of the forum was to create awareness on the impact of metrology in intra-African trade. “This project is in line with the African Union’s effort to facilitate trade within the continent,” he said.

    The Regional Director, UNIDO, Jean Bakole, lauded the agency’s efforts. As the first metrology institute in the country, he is convinced that the institute would add value to goods manufactured by Nigerian companies to gain acceptability in Africa and world over.

     

  • Nigeria loses N7bn to tanker accidents in 25 weeks – FRSC

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says the country has lost N7.157 billion to road traffic accidents involving 116 petroleum product tankers in the first half of 2018.

    Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ forum on haulage transportation in Abuja on Monday.

    Oyeyemi said the figure excluded the number of people killed; the cost of treatment of those injured; damage to the country’s road infrastructure; environmental impact and other collateral damages.

    He said the June 28 petroleum tanker accident at Otedola Bridge in Lagos that left 12 persons dead and 55 vehicles burnt was the worst in terms of the number of vehicles involved.

    The FRSC boss blamed road accidents involving tankers largely on noncompliance with minimum safety standards especially by tank farm owners and tanker owners/drivers in the country.

    “There is so much compromise by the tank farm owners. The tanks are supposed to carry specific litres of products, but they fill them to the brim; there is conspiracy.

    “When the drivers are going they sell these products along the highways.

    Read Also: 85 killed in Edo auto accidents – FRSC

    “Two, because of the minimum safety standards at various tank farms, they use the truck heads of different tankers to load at the tank farms.

    “When they get back to designated points they now transfer it and use their own trucks. That is why we are having these problems; there is so much compromise at the tank farms,’’ he said.

    Oyeyemi tasked relevant agencies, including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), on full enforcement of the minimum safety standards in the certification of haulage vehicles.

    “SON should work with the tank farms to ensure that only tanks that comply with the minimum safety standards are allowed to load.

    “The maximum haulage capacity for tankers operating in the country is 33,000 litres. There should be a directive that any tanker with more than 33,000 litre capacity should not be allowed to load.

    “This is why the weight and measures of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment should be more active and ensure strict enforcement of these standards,’’ he added.

    Oyeyemi thanked the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for convening the forum, which sought to find a lasting solution to incessant tanker accidents in the country.

    He urged other regulators to collaborate with the FRSC on the enforcement of safety standards in the industry.

  • SON trains Army personnel on ISO 9001 standards

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Training Services Department has conducted a training for 12 officers of the Army Standards and Evaluation Department in Abuja.

    The training was sequel to the visit of the Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation, Major-General Adekunle Shodunke, to SON, and the resolve to collaborate towards certification of the Nigerian Army processes to ISO Quality Management System (QMS) standards.

    Facilitators of the five-day training were Miss Osioneh Braimah and Olumide Alade, an engineer,  of the SON Training Services Department.

    Declaring the training open, Shodunke said the Nigerian Army was keen on improving its existing processes in line with international best practices and was ready to adopt the world acclaimed ISO 9001:2015 QMS standards in its operations.

    According to him, the training was the first in the series of others that will include officers from all departments of the Nigerian Army involved in standards evaluation and monitoring.

    Shodunke said the Nigerian Army stands to benefit immensely from the adoption of the ISO Standard, which has wide acceptance in various private sector, governmental, security and paramilitary institutions across the world.

    He enjoined the trainees to be attentive and focused during the training program which, according to him, will include a test of understanding at the end.

  • Senate committee pushes for SON’s return to ports

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Industry, Senator Sam Egwu and his Deputy, Senator Barnabas Gemade has given reasons why the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) should return urgently to the ports.

    The committee team that was on an oversight function at SON’s offices and laboratories in Lagos said if the campaign on ‘Buy Naija’  and  safeguarding the lives of Nigerians must be assured, it was imperative for SON to urgently return to the ports.

    The committee chairman said the absence of the agency was greatly felt at the ports and called on stakeholders in the sector to begin facilitating its return.

    He stressed that it was necessary for the agency to have first-hand information on goods berthing on the shores of the country before being allowed into the markets. He said Nigeria, a large scale importing country, must have its standards organisation at the point of entry, to ascertain the quality of goods coming in.

    Senator Egwu said: “We cannot overemphasise the issue of standardisation because it is the core for every manufacturing output. We are not happy that SON has not been allowed to operate at its maximum capacity especially with their presence being felt at the port.

    “Nigeria is import-dependent, with porous borders and for them not to be at the port to inspect these goods first hand is not good enough. They should be allowed to be at the port to see these products before they enter into the market.

    “We have observed some products come into the country from countries that do not have standards all cloned with SON logo. This is certainly not good for the Nigerian economy.

    “The discovery by the SON deterred such goods from getting into the hands of unsuspecting consumers, he said. He commended operations of the agency in its fight to combat fake and substandard goods and restated the committees support.

    “From what I have seen so far, I want to say that they have impressed us as a committee with their efforts to ensure that products are being standardised; they have also judiciously put to use the appropriated funds given to them to deliver on their mandate.”

    SON’s Director-General, Osita Aboloma, told the committee that steady progress had been made over the years under the current leadership of the Senate Committee on Industry.

    “We have never had it so good under any committee in the history of SON.

    “Not only did you bequeath a befitting SON Act, we have also been able to discharge most of our core mandate. I am also proud to tell the world that the issue of possession and co-ownership of the building where our operational office in Lekki is situated has been resolved in favour of SON due to your able leadership,” Aboloma said.

    Members of the committee were taken to SON’s one-stop office in Apapa and its multi-billion laboratory complex in Ogba with about 38 laboratories.

  • SON raids Computer Village, seizes products

    The Surveillance, Investigative and Monitoring (SIM) Unit of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has stormed the Computer/GSM Village in Ikeja, Lagos, where it raided shops that stocked  phones, computer products and accessories that had not been registered to ascertain their quality and ensure traceability.

    In the operation carried out with the aid of security agents, during the week, 21 shops were shut and products put on hold by SON SIM unit officials for infractions on non-registration and fake import documents.

    The affected business owners, according to the team leader, Azeez Tijani, were given a grace period to conform and register their products during a raid last year. They, however, neglected the overture, hence, the sting operation to seal off their shops and put the sale of the products on hold.

    Mr. Tijani advised the business owners to visit the SON Operational Headquarters in Lekki, Lagos, for corrective actions before their shops would be unsealed.

    He explained that the raid  was as result of the unyielding attitude of some of the business owners to comply with SON’s product registration.

    According to him, importers were required to register computers, phones and accessories to ensure that their products meet the Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) for imports.

    Also, the SON’s SIM Unit raided a suspected firm, which specialises in the re-bagging and re-branding  imported super quality plaster, a foreign brand of white cement, into five kilogramme (kg) and one kg bags with the brand name Joy White Cement and Joy Super Cement.

    The team leader said the company importing a foreign brand of cement only to re-bag and sell under a different brand name was committing an illegal act that does not conform to quality assurance procedures in Nigeria.

    He advised importers and manufacturers to adhere to check with the SON in import and manufacturing to avoid doing illegal things.

  • SON arraigns couple for manufacturing substandard roofing sheets 

    The long arm of the law caught up with a businessman  Mr. Emeka Nwankwo and his accomplice wife, Adaobi, who were arraigned in court by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) before a Federal High Court sitting in Awka for allegedly manufacturing substandard aluminium roofing sheets.

    SON accused Nwankwo, who is the Managing Director of Great Meckon Investment and his wife of manufacturing and selling the product which did not comply with the Nigerian Industrial Standards to the public.

    The couple,  manufacturers of Great Meckon roofing sheets are based at the International Building Materials Market, Ogidi in Anambra.

    The charges read out to the accused while being arraigned stated; “you engaged in the manufacturing of aluminum roofing sheet and did sell or deliver the said product for public consumption without complying with the Nigerian Industrial Standards, thereby committing offence punishable under section 26(2)(i) of the SON Act No. 14 of 2015.

    “That the manufactured aluminum roofing sheet fall below requisite and expected quality and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1(18) (ii) of the miscellaneous offences Act, CAP M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004,” it said.

    Counsel to SON, Mr Adeleke Olofindare, said staff of the organisation took samples of the product for laboratory testing to ascertain its conformity to Nigeria Industrial Standards specification which it failed. He listed five witnesses that would testify against the accused.

    The accused pleaded guilty to the charges.

    P.I Chukwudebelu counsel to the accused prayed the court to grant the couple bail.

    Chukwudebelu said they were willing to stand trial and promised to produce them whenever the case would be heard.

    The prosecution did not object to the application for bail.

    In his ruling, Justice N.I Oweibo granted the couple bail in the sum of N1million and a surety of not less than grade level 8 in the civil service for a like sum. The matter was adjourned to May 24.

  • BUA Sugar Refinery gets MANCAP’s revalidation

    BUA Sugar Refinery, a subsidiary of BUA Group of Companies, on Tuesday received the revalidation of the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) product quality certificate of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) for its refined white sugar.

    At the presentation of the certificate to the company in Lagos, SON Director-General Mr. Osita Aboloma said the revalidation of BUA’s MANCAP Certificate was an attestation to its product and process conformity to production standard.

    Aboloma, who was represented by SON Lagos State Coordinator, Mr. Joseph Ugbaja, said MANCAP protected manufacturers against counterfeiting and unfair trade practices that instilled confidence in consumers that locally produced goods were fit and safe for intended use.

    “The certificate we are about to present today is a revalidation and reaffirmation of their product’s quality after our routine checks and test in the last three years. We want to equally remind you that the certificate can be withdrawn by SON at any time you deviate from the standards or your quality falls short of the minimum requirements,” he said.

    SON introduced MANCAP in January 2006 as part of measures by the Federal Government to entrench the culture of quality in the manufacturing sector.

    Aboloma advised BUA to ensure that its quality assurance department was empowered for the greater role of ensuring good quality products through provision of equipment and independence of their operations.

    BUA Sugar Refinery Managing Director Alhaji Ibrahim Yaro said the certification was a demonstration and recognition of the consistent quality maintained in the company’s sugar production.

    “BUA Sugar Refinery has gone through the vigorous process of routine inspection, tested and satisfied the SON’s stringent conditions for the award of the quality mark and is being awarded the SON prestigious quality of MANCAP.

    “BUA Sugar Refinery produces 2,000 metric tonnes of sugar per day and we use the best technology in our production line,” Yaro said.

    He said the company would continually ensure quality in all its production line towards building the nation’s economy and boosting the image of the manufacturing sector.

    He added that the company would continue in its drive to boost the nation’s self-sufficiency in sugar production through investment in backward integration.

  • Should NAFDAC, SON others return to ports?

    Almost two years after their sack from the ports, the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) are on their way back. The government has approved NAFDAC’s return. SON is said to be lobbying to return. Will their planned return bode well for the ease of doing buisness?  Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports.

    The signing of three executive orders into law by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo while acting as president raised hopes of eliminating the hurdles in the way of a bigger and more productive private sector. The aspect of the executive order, which sought to promote transparency and efficiency in the business environment, was particularly music to the ears of port users and real sector operators.

    To them, the initiative set the stage for a major turnaround in their fortunes, as the delay in cargo clearance had become a pain in the neck. Their hope, therefore, was that the executive order would compel a systemic change in the way businesses and operations were conducted at the ports, and hopefully, change the narrative that clearing time for goods at the ports is said to be about the longest in the world.

    For instance, it takes an average of 19 days to clear cargoes at Nigerian ports, whereas it takes seven and four days to do same in Cotonou and South Africa.

    Operators blame the delay in cargo clearance in Nigeria on the multiplicity of government agencies at the ports. This was why the operators were joyful when, on the strength of the executive order, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) announced that only seven agencies are allowed to operate at the ports.

    NPA Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman was emphatic that the Federal Government’s directive of 2011, which reduced the number of agencies from 14 to seven, remained valid.  Consequently, she said only seven agencies — NPA, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Department of State Security (DSS), Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and Port Health Services — were authorised to operate at the ports.

    Ms Usman, who spoke at a meeting with representatives of select government agencies and port stakeholders in Lagos, June last year, said under the arrangement, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) were no longer allowed to have representatives at the ports or partake in the process of cargo clearance.

    Others affected by the streamlining included the Directorate of Naval Intelligence (DNI), Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA), Plant Quarantine, and Port Police alongside its Bomb Disposal Unit.

    “We are trying to reduce the time and process in what we are doing and it is only when we abide by this that we can do that. I want to enjoin all of you to join hands with us and make sure that we implement this to the letter.  When the orders are fully implemented, we will succeed in the mandate and it will also reduce time of doing business at the port,” Ms Usman said.

    However, operators’ joy and Ms Usman’s expectation of a reduction in the time of doing business may have been short-lived. In what is seen by not a few operators and stakeholders as a major policy somersault, the Federal Government, a fortnight ago, gave NAFDAC the nod to return to the ports.

    Basking in the euphoria of the agency’s return, its Director-General, Prof Christianah Adeyeye, said it would restore NAFDAC’s key responsibility of monitoring imports of sensitive chemical substances, food, drug and other regulated products.

    She said in collaboration with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and with the active support of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), NAFDAC is returning to ports and borders to “effectively control the importation of narcotic drugs and chemical substances identified to be grossly abused and posing public health and security threats to the nation”.

    “NAFDAC wishes to commend the Office of the NSA, the Chemical Society of Nigeria and other stakeholders for recognising NAFDAC as a key player in the national security architecture by the singular act of restoring the presence of NAFDAC officials at all designated ports of entry and land borders,” Prof Adeyeye said, exuding a burst of energy.

    She argued that the laws that set up NAFDAC empowered it to statutorily operate at the ports. “The clearance of regulated products outside of the current legal framework poses immediate and life threatening risks to the public as unregistered, spurious and falsified products exit the ports without recourse to the agency’s approval for such products to be in the market,” Adeyeye said.

    The agency’s comeback to the port, The Nation learnt, came on the heels of alleged clandestine moves by SON to find its way back to the port, even though the regulatory agency had denied such moves.

    “Government in its wisdom removed SON from being at the ports. That singular action hampered the drive for reducing substandard products in Nigeria because today we are not at the ports so, we do not even know what is coming into Nigeria,”former SON Director-General, Dr Joseph Odumodu, said in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.

    The SON’s Director, Inspectorate and Compliance, Mr. Bede Obayi, also reportedly said that since SON’s agents were withdrawn from the seaports, it has not been able to effectively monitor and control the influx of substandard goods into the country.

    He said lack of SON’s presence at the nation’s seaports to check containers bringing goods into the country has accounted for a 200 per cent rise in the volume of substandard goods in the country in the last four years.

    Recall that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Finance, had in October 2011 ordered SON and some other agencies and various units operating at the nation’s seaports to vacate the place. Former Finance Minister and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had explained that the action was necessary to reduce the number of agencies at the ports and facilitate faster clearance of cargoes as well as maximise government’s revenue.

    The Nation learnt from reliable industry sources that almost 80 per cent of goods coming into the country enters through the seaports. “It is very bad for us to allow these goods to be coming in without SON being physically present to check them because importers may present fake certificates to other agencies that do not have the facilities to cross-check like SON would do,” Obayi said, in the heat of the agency’s push to return to the port.

     

    Setback on ease of doing business

     

    The return of NAFDAC to the ports and SON’s plan to come back are seen as a heavy blow to the Federal Government’s executive order on ease of doing business, particularly at the nation’s seaports.

    According to experts, Nigeria’s extremely complex regulations and processes have made the business environment harsh and business transaction a harrowing experience. For instance, because of harsh operating environment, Nigeria occupied an unenviable position of 169 out of 189 on the 2016 World Bank Ease of Doing Business index.

    This has continued to erode Nigeria’s global competitiveness, as cost of manufacturing products in the country has remained high. It is also the reason why the cost of finished goods in the country is high when compared to goods produced in countries with better ranking on Ease of Doing Business Index.

    However, Credit Bureau Association of Nigeria (CBAN) Chairman, Mr. ‘Tunde Popoola, pointed out that Nigeria now ranks 145th out of 190 countries on the Ease of Doing Business index, compared to 169 in last year’s report.

    Although, Popoola attributed this to efforts by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council’s (PEBEC) initiative of which the Credit Bureaux played integral part last year, the return of NAFDAC and moves by other agencies to come back  is seen as being capable of taking Nigeria back on the ease of doing business index.

    This is so, considering warning by Partner and Chief Economist, Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), a professional services firm, Mr. Andrew Nevin, that Nigeria’s transition to a non-oil economy would be an uphill task without a significant improvement in the business environment.

    He also said this may affect projection that Nigeria’s economy could be among the top 10 in 2050 with a projected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $6.4 trillion, surpassing Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), France and Saudi Arabia.

    Recall that the overall objective of the executive order on ease of doing business was to stimulate a rebound of an economy gradually coming out of a debilitating recession and fast-track Nigeria’s transition to a non-oil economy.

    This was why the initiative excited private sector operators, with the former President, National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, Comrade Oladele Hunsu, expressing hope that the aspect of the order seeking to facilitate ease of doing business at the port will do away with the agonising bureaucratic bottlenecks that have been scaring away local and foreign investors.

    Operators fear that with the return of NAFDAC and possible comeback of other agencies earlier sacked from the ports, Osinbajo’s instruction, based on the executive order, that Apapa Port should resume 24-hour operation, will no longer work. They also fear that the government’s target of achieving a 48-hour cargo clearance at the ports will not be achieved.

    Such fears are hinged on the belief that the return of agencies earlier booted out of the port will harm efforts at harmonising agencies’ operations at the port into one single interface station as directed by the Vice President. His riot act to touts and corrupt officials at port may also not work.