Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Director-General, Mr. Osita Aboloma has lamented the large presence of fake, counterfeit and sub-standard goods in the country. He put the figure at about 50 per cent.
He said his agency is equipped more than ever to fight the menace especially with the implementation of SON ACT 14, 2015, which empowers the agency to prosecute any offender.
Aboloma, who spoke to The Nation in his office in Lagos, said the agency is in the 36 States of the Federation including Abuja.
He said they have over 41 life threatening items that are in the prohibition list with the mandate to seize them where ever they are found within 24 hours.
While condemning the unscrupulous business men who import counterfeit goods, he explained that SON only destroys those goods as a last result when they cannot be corrected.
Abaloma explained that if the contravention has to do with only packaging or minor correction they assist the importer or manufacturer to make the necessary adjustment.
He said SON is determined to encourage the growth of Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and National Association of Small Scale Industries (NASSI) especially those who are not in the Mandatory Assessment Programme (MANCAP) yet to bring their product up to the Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS).
According to him, a programme tailored towards their size of business is in place where they are given reasonable rates to enable them go through the process of standardization of their products while they are also granted waivers in vehicle importation to mechanise their production processes.
Abaloma said: “SON market surveillance covers the 36 states of the federation; the idea is to grow market confidence on imported and locally manufactured goods by making them go either through the SON Mandatory Assessment Programme (SONCAP) for imported products and MANCAP for locally manufactured products.
“We want economic development and growth through adherence to standardization because standardization means order besides production cost savings”.