SON ranks second in PEBEC half-year transparency report

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has been ranked among the top-performing government agencies for its compliance and consistency with laid-down procedures for efficient public service delivery.

The information, released by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) in its 2024 Half Year Transparency and Efficiency Compliant Report, evaluates the performance of various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in delivering public services effectively.

According to the PEBEC report, which covers the period from January to June 2024, SON secured the second position with a compliance score of 78.2 per cent, out of 20 evaluated MDAs.

This places SON just behind the Nigerian Content Development and Management Board (NCDMB), which topped the rankings with a score of 80.1 per cent, while the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) came in third, scoring 74.8 per cent.

Despite ongoing bureaucratic challenges and issues related to consequence management, the report highlights significant progress across many MDAs in adhering to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and advancing digitization efforts.

Over 60 per cent of MDAs now score above average, a marked improvement from previous reports, where only 30 per cent achieved such ratings.

The Efficiency Compliance Ranking measures MDAs’ commitment to delivering services promptly, cost-efficiently, and with a customer-centric approach.

This includes their adherence to SLAs, cost management, procedural efficiency, the One Government directive, and compliance with the Business Facilitation Act 2022.

High-performing MDAs consistently meet or exceed these standards, as demonstrated by SON’s recent performance.

The Director Public Relations, SON, Mrs. Foluso Bolaji, praised the organisation’s dedication to its mandate, noting that the PEBEC report signals a positive outlook for efficient public service delivery in Nigeria.

She emphasised that the Director General and Chief Executive, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, remains committed to aligning SON’s goals with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for an industrialised Nigeria to ensure the organisation continues to render its services efficiently for the overall good of the country.

Bolaji also credited SON’s consistent top-tier performance to the hard work and dedication of its staff, who remain focused on eradicating substandard products in Nigeria.

She stated that with the current administration’s emphasis on creating a conducive business environment beginning to yield tangible results, SON’s strong performance underscores its critical role in supporting this national objective.