The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Standards Organisation of Nigeria

  • SON holds workshop for SMEs in Bayelsa

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) recently held a sensitisation workshop in Yenagoa, Bayelsa. The organisation was bothered fake and substandard products and was determined in ensuring that such products have no space and place in the market.

    The organisation targeted Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for its workshop and many of them were in attendance. The Director-General, SON, Mr. Osita Aboloma, warned operators of SMEs and agro-allied businesses against substandard products.

    The workshop was particularly organised to sensitise participants on the international organisation for standardisation’s ISO 9001:2015 generic standards. Farmers, captains of agro-allied businesses and government officials attended the workshop.

    Aboloma, who was represented by the Regional Coordinator, South-South, Mr. Papanye Don-Pedro, gave them reasons why they should comply with ISO standards. He said they should either shape in or shape out insisting that businesses that fail to comply or would be doomed.

    He said there was the need to help SMEs and agro-allied businesses to enhance efficiency and increase their productivity.

  • Fake goods: SON to protect local producers

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has pledged its 100 per cent commitment towards protecting local manufacturers and industries against the influx of substandard goods into the country.

    The Director General, SON, Osita Aboloma, said the agency will continue to be proactive in its quest to rid Nigeria of substandard products, which bring nothing but economic loss to the nation.

    Aboloma, spoke when he took members of the Cable Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (CAMAN) to two residential buildings in Ajangbadi area of Lagos where it uncovered over N8 billion worth of Nigerian cloned cables last year.

    He said: “We have held them down for the past six months. We are processing them for ratification and when necessary, it would be destroyed, subject to the final order from the court that is coming out any moment from now. We want to assure Nigerians that the battle to rid Nigeria of substandard cables is an ongoing battle with the cable manufacturers of Nigeria.”

    He said the unscrupulous importer targeted cloned Nigerian cables already certified by SON, in deceptive packages to deceive the unsuspecting Nigerian populace, adding that more of such firms would be uncovered courtesy of its proactive surveillance across the country.

    “They saw their brands are being threatened and they came to us and we have been able to arrest the situation. We will keep on doing that to discourage anybody that wants to take advantage of our attempt to create an enabling business environment for local production. Our cables are the best in Africa. They are safe to use and any cable that does not conform to our MANCAP is therefore not certified by us. We will keep on going to the markets to conduct surveillance exercise and inspecting factories of these cable manufacturers to make sure they all conform to the Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) and whenever they fall short of standards, we will clamp down on them,” he said.

    According to him, the eventual destruction of these substandard cables would send a strong signal to unscrupulous importers that intends to fake or clone any successful brand in Nigeria.

    He however called on the general public to join hands in the battle against substandard products in the country, saying that to win the way against this nefarious trade by purveyors required a collective effort

    “We are calling on the general public to work with us and if you see something unwholesome, say something. The cable manufacturers, our formidable partners in quality assurance and in collaboration with the Nigerian police and sister agencies were able to intercept these cables before entering our markets.

     

     

  • SON to ensure minimum standards on goods

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) plans to establish more laboratories  to ensure that locally-produced goods and imported ones meet the minimum requirement of the Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS).

    Its Director-General, Osita Aboloma, said the body was determined to put the indigenous products at the international markets, pointing out that to achieve this, the agency had been equipping its staff with the requisite knowledge and technical know-how.

    He stated this during the ISO/IEC three-day laboratory accreditation implementation course at its training centre in Ogba, Lagos.

    He added that the course was one of such programmes to enable SON’s existing accredited laboratories to implement the most current standard released last November.

    ‘‘Therefore, I will implore you all to be attentive, ensure you understand all that you are being taught and prepared to implement the standard towards maintaining our accreditation in the Food and Chemistry Laboratories,’’ he urged.

    He continued: ‘‘It is on record that in 2017, over 40 training sessions were carried out by the unit as against three of such programmes in 2016. There was also a remarkable improvement in the turnover from this division. As part of the readjustment in the efficient and effective running of the organisation, services that can be delivered within the organisation are patronised, thereby saving cost that would have been expended on external parties.’’

    The SON’s boss, represented by the Director, Special Duties, Mohammed Kabir,  said the idea of the impactful training is to impact requisite knowledge, competence, development for both staff and the general public  in order to disseminate information on current standards as well as provide benchmarks for other institutions that are partners in the development of this country.

    He said: ‘‘Pursuant to that, it was established that the division needs to be energised in order to meet up with the current trend. This informed the restructuring of the Training Services Division. Competences of the facilitators continue to remain a primary objective and you will agree with me that there has been a surge in staff capacity building.’’

    He  directed that the next batch of laboratories preparing for accreditation in  Lagos and Enugu would undergo the same course towards achieving accreditation.

    Furthermore, he said, the agency had been working assiduously to develop enough quality infrastructure across the country aimed at making locally made products meet the required minimum expectations for global standards.

  • Relief, as stakeholders endorse SON ACT 14, 2015 in Kano … seek increased collaboration

    Relief, as stakeholders endorse SON ACT 14, 2015 in Kano … seek increased collaboration

    In continuation of its quest to boost public awareness and support for the campaign against substandard products in the country, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) recently took its nationwide sensitization exercise on the SON Act to Kano.

    The objective of this, according to the Director General of SON, Mr. Osita Aboloma, was to increase consumers’ awareness on the Act and how it would impact on  the organization’s pursuit of its mandate and  on businesses, and generally on Nigerians. Indeed, participants at the forum, which had two guest speakers–Alhaji Ali Madugu-Vice President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and a Lecturer from Bayero University, Barrister Usman Muhammad Shu’aib Zunnrain stressed their desire for more collaboration with SON for a mutually beneficial relationship.

    Other dignitaries at the forum which held at the Grand Central hotel, Bompai Road, Kano included the Kano State Commissioner of Police-Rabi’u Yusuf, who was represented by Assistant Commissioner  of Police(ACP) Abubakar Zubair,  representative of the State Commandant of the Nigerian Civil Defence Corp (NCDC)  Chief Superintendent Abdulhamid Kabara, representative of the Director of the  Department of State Security Service (DSS), Alhaji Nasir Ibraheem and the Kano State Coordinator of SON in Kano and Jigawa States-Alhaji Yunusa Mohamme, who represented the Director General, Mr Osita Aboloma

    There were also the Managing Director, S.G International Agencies and Coordinator, Association of Nigerian Licensed Custom Agent (ANCLA)-Alhaji Mohammed Sanusi Wakili, the Chairman, Chosen Cargo Services Nigeria Limited-Sir Patrick Agbato, the Secretary, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Kano-Alhaji Tijani Ahmed and representative of the Nigerian Spinners & Dyers,  Kano- Engineer Haruna Musa of the Department of Mechatronics Engineering,  Bayero University, Kano.

    In his welcome address at the forum with the theme: “SON ACT 14, 2015: The imperative of consumer engagement”, the Director General explained that what  the SON Act was intended to achieve was to halt the prevailing situation where criminals flood the country with substandard products with impunity, largely because the previous laws under which the organization operated did not provide commensurate sanctions to offenders and deserved protection and sufficient power to SON officials. Now that the new laws have provided an enabling environment for the organization, he stated, Nigerians could be rest assured that the menace of substandard products would now be decisively dealt with and culprits instantly reprimanded, ultimately prosecuted and appropriately sanctioned. Aboloma added that faithful Implementation of the new Act would guarantee increased sales to genuine manufacturers and importers who, he noted, are presently shortchanged because of their inability to compete with cheaper substandard products which flood the nation’s markets.

    The DG however disclosed that there are provisions in the Act which manufacturers, importers and other stakeholders and indeed all Nigerians must know so as to ensure necessary sensitization and collaboration in the campaign against substandard products. This imperative, he explained, informed the agency’s sustained stakeholders forum, where SON, sister agencies and other partners, among others, share information and experiences and proffer suggestions on how to win the anti-substandard products battle.

  • Reps score SON 95% on laboratory center

    The House of Representative Committee on Industry has scored the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) high on effective implementation of budgetary provisions for its laboratory complex at Ogba, Ikeja.

    The Committee Chairman, Abubakar Moriki, who led an eight-man delegate of Patrick Aisowieren; Micky Kazzim; Sam Onuigbo; Ahmad Kalambaina; Mohammed Ibrahim; Baderinwa Bamidele and Yusuf Buba praised the Director-General (DG), Osita Aboloma, for attaining 95 per cent completion of the project.

    He said the inspection was necessary to ascertain the depth of implementation of 2017 budget in preparation for the passing of the 2018 appropriation bill.

    The Chairman, who commended the spate of construction and equipping, said the observation of the laboratory complex will forge the basis for the provision of facilities to  jump start operations.

    Touring the four-storey complex, which include refrigerator testing chamber, food microbiology, food data processing unit, among others, Moriki said full operation should begin by March.

    He said: “Towards the tail end of 2016, we were here and the project was at an appreciable level of completion though the equipments were not installed and positioned in their respective offices. Now in 2018 and in the process of considering the appropriation for the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), it is necessary to come and visit the facility and see other places where they are conducting  their operations.”

    He further urged the DG to ensure strategic distribution of the testing equipment across regional laboratories to avoid concentration in a locale.

    “We should be looking forward to seeing many of these testing equipment separated all over, not necessarily concentrated in one location. It is a service you provide to many of the cement companies,” he said.

    Welcoming the delegates, Aboloma said the organisation was deeply committed to realising the country’s goal of standardisation both locally and internationally.

    He said the laboratory has also been designed to accommodate standardi-sation needs of the West African sub-region.

    Aboloma said analysis of locally made cement components, for instance,  will no longer be a challenge as a laboratory for chemical test analysis would be operational to certify strength of compression, thereby limiting the risks of building collapses.

    The noted that new departments  would be spread among the new phases of regional laboratories coming up  in the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest.

    He said: “We have been looking forward to this visit because you are our major advisers. We are open minded and open for change. We are open to anything that would add value to the work we do. This laboratory has been accredited to ensure that anything certified in Nigeria will be acceptable all over the world.”

  • SON sensitises communities on dangers of substandard products

    Worried by the bourgeoning trade in substandard goods across the federation, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has embarked on massive sensitisation of the populace to warn them against the menace of product counterfeiting.

    The SON reiterated the awareness campaign against substandard product at different communities in Anambra State, noting that this move was to raise the awareness level on the negative impact of substandard goods in the country.

    The Director General, SON, Osita Aboloma, stated that substandard products pose lot of dangers to individuals and the society, stressing that so many accidents and fire outbreaks have been linked to the use of substandard products.

    The SON boss, who was represented by the General Manager, Good Fruitage, Chinedu Emmanuel, at the sensitisation exercise on the dangers of substandard products held in Obinagu Community, in Anambra State, tagged “Pain and loss, the hallmark of substandard products” advised the people in the community to always watch out for the Product Authentication Mark (PAM) which he said would be introduced in February 1st 2018, maintaining that PAM would be the ultimate factor in checkmating the prevalence of substandard products in the market.

    He however assured Anambarians of the agency’s renewed efforts in tackling the influx of substandard goods into the country.

    Also speaking at the event, the Country Programme Officer, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Ben Odoemena, said nations who have value for quality life have set standards for every aspect of human process, pointing out that SON creates standards and, or adopts internationally acclaimed standards for products and processes all for collective interests of the society and the country at large.

    “The message is simple. Reject substandard and enjoy quality life. However, unscrupulous elements in our society in their unwholesome sharp practices have flooded our markets with substandard products and they will continue to succeed if we continue to patronise them,” he warned.

    Meanwhile, he commended SON in its efforts to make it easier for unsuspecting consumers to distinguish quality products from substandard ones using the MANCAP logo and other recent initiatives.

    The president of Obinagu Development Union (ODU) challenged its people to ensure that products used in executing the projects in the community meet quality standards.

    He specifically called on the Works Committee to monitor the construction company working on the road projects in the community closely to ensure that work on the projects conform to the specified standards in the contract.

  • IFAD distributes N8.6m rice processing equipment to farmers

    IFAD distributes N8.6m rice processing equipment to farmers

    The International Fund for Agricultural Development ( IFAD ) – Value Chain Development Programme ( VCDP ) on Tuesday distributed rice processing equipment worth N8.6 million to five women farmers groups in Niger.

    The State Programme Coordinator ( SPC ), Dr. Mathew Ahmed, while distributing the equipment to the farmers in Minna on Tuesday, said the measure would go a long way in creating jobs.

    According to him, it will also ensure that local rice farmers produce the crop in line with international best practices.

    “We are here today to distribute rice processing machines to our farmers to enable them produce rice that will compete favourably with the foreign rice.

    “Many of the foreign rice we eat today in Nigeria are not better than our local rice because they are expired but our local rice is fresh.

    Read also: Edo, Delta, Cross River fish farmers get equipment

    “Some of the foreign rice we eat constitute health hazards, hence the need for VCDP to ensure food security,’’ he said.

    The equipment distributed included five rice de-stoners, 10 rice parboilers, and 46 manual sprayers.

    The coordinator said IFAD-VCDP would subsidise the cost of the equipment.

    He explained that the groups selected from the five participating local government areas in the VCDP applied for the equipment.

    The local governments include Bida, Wushishi, Kontagora, Shiroro and Katcha.

    He said that aside training the farmers in mechanised farming in the value chain, the programme also trained them in using first-bottom approach to parboil rice.

    “We are presently working with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control ( NAFDAC ) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria ( SON ) to make sure that our farmers adhere to international best practices that will make their product accepted across the globe,’’ he said.

    He said that there were 13,000 farmers participating in rice and cassava value chain in the state.

    In her remarks, Dr Amina Bello, wife of the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello commended IFAD-VCDP, saying that it had added value to the state’s agriculture drive.

    She was represented by Mrs Kaltume Rufai, the Permanent Secretary, Niger State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

    Bello urged the beneficiaries to utilise the equipment to ensure success of the programme.

    Responding on behalf of one of the beneficiary groups,  Hajiya Hadiza Yunusa, Chairman, Nufawamasu Gumi Rice Producers Association, Bida said that before the coming of IFAD-VCDP the colour of their rice was not attractive and contained impurities.

    Yunusa said that the VCDP had trained them on modern ways of cultivating, processing and marketing rice.

    “Now we sell our rice and cassava to other West African countries, our customers even book in advance,’’ Yunusa said.

    NAN

  • SON shuts four steel firms

    SON shuts four steel firms

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has shut four steel companies across the country for non-compliance with requirements of the Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS 117) and global best practices.

    The agency also warned that any steel manufacturer caught circumventing quality assurance requirements would be prosecuted in line with the SON Act 14 of 2015.

    The Director General SON Osita Aboloma, gave the warning at a meeting with steel stakeholders in Lagos. He said non-compliance with quality and standards would not guarantee local and international patronage of made in Nigeria steel product. He said the four firms were among those the agency investigated and conducted integrity tests on recently.

  • SON: blame product adulteration on poor monitoring

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has attributed faking and adulteration of products in the country to improper monitoring and communication gap.

    Director-General of the organisation, Osita Aboloma said this in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at the presentation of Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) certificate to Polar Petrol Chemicals Limited.

    Dr Aboloma said, “I call on the management of the company to deliberately synergise with the distributors as experience has shown that adulteration, faking or any manner of tampering with the products is usually traced to improper monitoring and communication gap.”

    Represented by Group Head, Chemical Technologies of SON, Agboola Afolayan, Aboloma urged Nigerians to patronise made in Nigeria products “as they can compete with similar products manufactured elsewhere in the world.”

    He said, “When you patronise locally made products, it will grow the economy. You cannot grow the economy through importation. You grow economy when the money circulates. When you are patronsing, it means more sales for factories and creating employment for our children.

    There will be also sourcing of raw materials and you will pay them and they attend to their needs. That is the only thing that can make for circulation of money and that is the main focus of federal government of today.

    “The commitment of the management of Polar Petrochemicals Limited to live up to its obligation and secret mandate to meet the yearnings of its customers in the provision of quality lubricating oil is legendry and worth emulating by all manufacturers in the country.

    “By this certification, the company’s name and products are already in the SON website and can be accessed all over the world. The certification has also licensed the company to market its products beyond the shores of this country.”

    In his remark, Chairman of the company, Alhaji Tasiu Mustapha assured to ensure “that the standard with which this company started operation shall be sustained to all the stakeholders statisfaction.

    “The certification has resulted in our nomination by the World Health and Safety Organisation for the NAIJASAFE award 2017.”

    He said that apart from the systemic problem the industry is facing the challenge of adulteration of products.

    “Most of the factories you see are facing the problem of adulteration. DPR and SON have to come to our help. There are also the problems of electricity, funding and the recession that is about exiting.

    The major impact is adulteration. There should be stiffer penalty against manufacturers of fake products. It is worse than. Engine for your car is like the engine of your body. Just like you need water of food to lubricate your system, you need that engine to liberate your machines. When you feed your engine with fake oil, you are feeding the engine with poison and it will get knocked. It has a lot of effects on the economy,” he added.

  • Senate moves against telecoms over dropped calls

    Senate moves against telecoms over dropped calls

    Worried by the growing cases of mobile telephone dropped calls, the Senate has ordered investigation into causes of the problem, even as it chided the GSM service providers for inefficiency and poor service delivery.

    The Senate also warned the service providers against unsolicited calls and SMS that flood subscribers’ telephone lines on a daily basis, even as it kicked against illegal deductions of airtime for frivolous product subscriptions without the subscribers’ consent.

    At its plenary on Tuesday, the upper legislative chamber mandated its standing committees on Communications and Trade and Investment to investigate the matter.

    It also urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria, (SON) and other regulatory agencies to invoke the appropriate sanctions against the service providers.

    Urging the agencies to protect the millions of mobile telephone subscribers in the country, the Senate said the telecom firms must not be allowed flout extant agreements and regulations on consumer protection.

    The lawmakers further urged the relevant regulatory agencies to ensure refund to subscribers for disrupted calls and unsolicited airtime deductions.

    According to the senators, the regulatory agencies should exercise more control regarding the usage of data bundles to ensure regulatory and operational efficiency in service delivery.

    The resolutions were made following a motion sponsored by Senator Andy Uba (Anambra South).

    Presenting the motion, Uba protested the loss of billions of Naira by millions of Nigerian subscribers on a daily basis, as a result of what he described as unwholesome practices by the telecom firms.

    Uba said subscribers not only experience disturbing rate of dropped calls but also get incomprehensible speech and voice quality “that sounds like speaking from the bottom of a fish tank”.

    The lawmaker also expressed worry over congestion on the various networks leading to poor audio reception and poor delivery on the various data bundles.

    The Senate specifically fingered the major network providers like MTN, Airtel, Etisalat and Globacom for expanding their network coverage beyond what their existing infrastructure could conveniently accommodate.