The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has advocated for a more concerted effort to combat substandard and fake products, citing a staggering cost-benefit estimate of 4.3 trillion US dollars. This was announced by Mallam Farouk Salim, the director general of SON, at the agency’s 50th-anniversary celebration in Lagos. Salim reaffirms the agency’s dedication to eradicating substandard and fake products from the market. He assures that the government organization would do more to create awareness among the public in pursuit of its filial duty.
Therefore he urges prominent institutions and stakeholders to invest substantially in brand protection operations in order to secure their copyright and affiliated brand against counterfeiters, copyright pirates and manufacturers of inferior goods. He also encouraged businesses to stay consistent in accordance with standards and government laws and provide maximum assistance to SON in different activities meant to improve the organization. Furtherly, he stressed the necessity for proclamation to minimize the influx of substandard products to the absolute bare minimum demands a robust partnership between the organization and other major entities.
Nigeria’s rapid progress necessitates high capacity and expertise.
SON’s focus over the past two years has been on bolstering the National Metrology System in order to elevate the profile of the National Metrology Institute Enugu as a significant component in Nigeria, as well as publishing National Standards and increasing SON’s technical competence in conformity assessment services through the accreditation of our Product Certification Department. Equally important is the fact that the Nigerian National Standardisation Strategy, which serves as the development framework, is being implemented with fidelity.
According to Salim, Nigeria’s rapid progress in worldwide advances necessitates high capacity and expertise to adapt to developing technological changes as well as the transformation of the educational and training institutional framework. Additionally, instilling values and quality as a way of life in the highly sensitive minds of youths at school is thought and supported by various studies to be more beneficial in fostering the national development rather than focusing in an isolated fashion.
The agency has kept up its record of substantial achievements.
Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, was represented at the event by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Evelyn Ngige, who extended the minister’s congratulations to SON on its 50th anniversary. He emphasized SON’s critical role in promoting commerce and ensuring excellence and quality standards in the context of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area. Adebayo has charged the agency with continuing to explore new avenues in order to fulfil its mandate of maintaining the high quality of all goods and services in the nation.
The agency has the full backing of the federal government, he said, as seen by the recent adoption of the National Quality Policy and other initiatives crucial to SON’s success. Joseph Odumodu, SON’s former director general, commended the incumbent director general for the organization’s commitment to its employees. He pointed out that the agency has kept up its record of substantial achievements since the current director took over, suggesting that it is led by forward-thinking individuals.
SON’s role in the nation’s economy is crucial for the achievement of AfCFTA.
Odumodu cited an instance of the equipped laboratories. He said the agency already has the proper people working there, which will encourage the recruitment of even more highly skilled workers and increase efficiency. The role SON plays in the nation’s economy is crucial for the achievement of AfCFTA and the country’s economic diversification push, he said in conclusion, urging the Director General to educate from the least cadre of personnel to the top and stressing there is a need to refocus personnel for more complex work.
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