The National Assembly has been urged to support efforts of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to tackle substandard steel products in the country, as that will help strengthen and bolster the campaign against substandard products and also prevent sabotage.
This was the view of Messrs. Buhari Alabi and Abubakar Aliyu in a statement on behalf of Iron Rods Distributors Association of Nigeria, (IRDAN). According to them, such support has become critical to the success of the campaign to stop substandard steel products from entering Nigerian market.
Director General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr. Farouk Salim, had recently ordered manufacturers and importers of steel products to get fake and substandard steel products out of the Nigerian market.
He said that the required Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) 117 must be met because steel products are key materials used in building bridges and must, therefore, satisfy the requirements in order to safeguard lives and property of Nigerians.
He also disclosed that steps were underway to harmonise standards for steel production across West African sub-region to avail steel manufacturers the opportunity to produce and export to different countries in West Africa. ‘Any steel manufacturer caught circumventing quality assurance requirements will be prosecuted in line with the SON Act 14 of 2015’ he said.