‘SON Act empowered agency to combat sub-standard goods proactively’

The Director General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Osita Aboloma has commended the National Assembly for empowering the agency to combat the influx, production and distribution of substandard products in the country.

According to him, the passage of the SON Act 14 of 2015 has provided the leeway for the organisation to prevent suspected substandard products from circulation even while investigations to ascertain the compliance to relevant standards are being carried out.

Aboloma explained that the general provisions in the new SON Act empowered the agency to prosecute perpetrators of substandard products either through production, importation and distribution while also providing stiffer penalties for convictions including jail terms.

The Act also empowers SON to seize and dispose of non compliant products including through destruction, he said.

Aboloma stated these while inspecting seized substandard products at the SON warehouse in Lagos, stressing that the National Assembly had in words and deeds shown great commitment to the eradication of substandard products in the country.

The SON Director General described substandard products as a serious social and economic challenge which require the concerted efforts of all patriots to contend with in addition to provision of adequate financial resources, manpower and technology deployment .

Aboloma said his agency was strengthening its internal mechanisms to combat substandard products head on and urged all Nigerians to join hands with SON in order to create greater opportunities for genuine and certified locally manufactured products to thrive.

This will improve capacity utilization, create massive employment opportunities and a more robust economy for the Nation, he said.
The SON Chief Executive described as unfounded recent insinuations of undermining or casting the National Assembly in bad light, adding that nothing could be further from the truth.

He affirmed his high respect for members of the National Assembly particularly in the course of their oversight functions on Ministries, Departments and Agencies, adding that such are aimed at making Nigeria a better place to live.

The SON DG said there are abundant evidences of the sterling contributions of the National Assembly to the course of the country’s developmental strides, stressing that no right-thinking person would undermine such.