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Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, resolved to probe the influx of sub-standard and counterfeit products into the country.
Consequently, the House mandated its committees on Commerce, Industry and Information; National Orientation, Ethics and Values to undertake the investigation and report back to it in two weeks for further legislative actions.
Also, the House resolved to summon the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria ( SON), Federal Competition and the Consumer Protection Commission to appear before the joint committee to explain measures they are taking to contain the influx substandard and counterfeit products in the country.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Chika Okafor on the “need to investigate the influx of fake, sub-standard and counterfeit products in Nigeria.”
Okafor, in his lead debate, lamented that markets in the country are full of all kinds of fake products, ranging from electrical, electronics, household appliances and equipment, building materials and automobile parts.
The lawmaker stated that this had made Nigerians resort to the purchase of second-hand goods, popularly known as tokunbo in local parlance.
He expressed concerns that “counterfeit goods are dangerous to health, as many have died as a result of the substandard and counterfeit products imported and manufactured in Nigeria.
“The reoccurring tragedy of collapsed buildings has mostly been linked to the usage of substandard building materials imported or manufactured in Nigeria…most vehicular accidents recorded in Nigeria have been attributed to faulty and sub-standard imported mechanical parts and tires.”
Okafor added that it is regrettable that despite the risk associated with sub-standard and counterfeit products, the SON, which is saddled with the responsibility of checking the menace is not doing much in that regard.
” In its 48 years of operations, SON is yet to live up to its mandate to investigate and enforce the standard of quality products into the Nigerian domestic market and create value for money for products manufactured or imported into Nigeria,” he stated.
