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By Bimbola Oyesola
Coleman Technical Industries Limited has called for tougher penalties and stronger prosecution of manufacturers and distributors of counterfeit and substandard cables, warning that weak enforcement is allowing the illicit trade to thrive and putting consumers’ lives at risk.
The company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, George Onafowokan, made the call yesterday while responding to questions from journalists during a media tour of Coleman’s factories in Sagamu, Ogun State.
Onafowokan urged the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to intensify enforcement against counterfeit cable producers and distributors, arguing that genuine manufacturers and consumers would continue to suffer unless offenders were subjected to meaningful criminal sanctions.
According to him, the confiscation and destruction of counterfeit cables, without the prosecution of those behind their production and distribution, would do little to deter the illicit business. He questioned the number of counterfeiters successfully prosecuted by SON, alleging that the regulator needed to do more to ensure that offenders faced the full weight of the law.
“If there is no consequence, all you’ve done is just remove a little off my shelf. I’ll buy another one because you did not tell me I’ve become a criminal for doing it,” Onafowokan said, stressing the need for enforcement agencies to make counterfeiting a crime with consequences.
The Coleman CEO also alleged that SON sometimes places greater emphasis on charging manufacturers for cable testing than on collaborating with relevant law-enforcement agencies to prosecute those involved in counterfeiting.
He called on regulators to draw lessons from the enforcement approach of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which, he said, had stepped up action against counterfeit pharmaceutical products.
Onafowokan maintained that cable counterfeiting deserved similar urgency because substandard electrical cables could trigger fires, destroy property and endanger human lives.
He disclosed that Coleman had been working with the Nigeria Police Force, including the office of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Tunji Disu, as well as various zonal and state commands, to investigate and combat cable counterfeiting.
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Onafowokan said the company had incurred substantial expenses in supporting investigations and legal proceedings, including the laboratory testing of suspected adulterated cables. He added that Coleman was awaiting the conclusion of a case that could become the first in Nigeria in which an individual is convicted and jailed specifically for adulterating electrical cables.
Explaining why counterfeiting remains attractive to criminals, he said fake cables could generate huge profits because they are manufactured with reduced quantities and inferior materials but sold at prices close to those of genuine products.
Onafowokan alleged that some substandard cables could contain 30 to 40 per cent less material than they should, particularly in length, enabling counterfeiters to cut production costs and maximise profits while exposing unsuspecting consumers to potentially dangerous products.
The Coleman boss also called for greater government support for local manufacturers under the Nigeria First policy, saying the company had benefited from expanding local-content opportunities in sectors such as oil and gas and telecommunications.
Also speaking, Coleman Executive Director, Michael Onafowokan, said SON had a critical responsibility to create an enabling environment for quality products while aggressively tackling counterfeiters. He noted that counterfeiting was no longer limited to imported substandard products, but was increasingly taking place within Nigeria.
Michael Onafowokan therefore urged SON to strengthen its enforcement machinery and work more closely with law-enforcement agencies to ensure that offenders are identified, prosecuted and punished. He said protecting quality manufacturers must go hand in hand with protecting Nigerian consumers.
Coleman’s Chief Operating Officer, Ilori Sanusi, also called on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to review existing laws governing counterfeiting and increase the penalties for offenders. “The punishment must be commensurate with the seriousness of the offence,” he argued, warning that inadequate sanctions could encourage more people to enter the illicit trade.
The Coleman executives ultimately called for a coordinated government response involving SON, the police, lawmakers and other relevant agencies, insisting that destroying seized cables alone is not enough. They urged authorities to move from confiscation to conviction, arguing that only stronger laws, effective prosecution and meaningful jail terms can make cable counterfeiting too costly and dangerous for offenders to continue.
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