Follow Us on Google
Steve Agbota
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has decried false declaration, willful importation of sub-standard goods, lamenting that importation of goods without conformity with the offshore SONCAP process were still very much in practice.
Speaking at a one day sensitisation workshop on “Ethics and Integrity in Shipping Trade” held in conjunction with Nigeria Shippers Council (NCS), last week in Lagos, the Director General of SON, Osita Aboloma, said it is worrisome as fraudulent importers even go as far as forging the SONCAP Certificate to bring in substandard products.
Aboloma who was represented by the agency’s Director, Inspectorate and Compliance Directorate, Engr. Obiora Manafa, said the agency has been pro-active in ensuring that requisite standards are made available for most products in the Nigerian markets, adding that it will continue to engage with stakeholders on the need to conform to standard.
He added: “Some of the importers have been compliant but there are some who don’t want to repent. They still go out and ask manufacturers to produce things that do not meet the standard. These are the people we are targeting.
“SON has been battling tooth and nail to curtail these non conformances. Part of our approach was the massive sensitisation of stakeholders in 2018, which we are going to continue this year to appeal to them’.
