FG seeks stakeholders support on review of Weights and Measurement Act

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment is seeking cooperation and stakeholders support on the review of Weights and Measurement Act and its subsidiary legislations.

Director, Weights and Measures Department in the ministry, Mrs Comfort Emenbu, made the call during the North-West stakeholders’ engagement in Kano.

She said the commitment of the government had informed the decision to meet with stakeholders and seek their input for the review of the Weight and Measure Act.

“It is envisaged that the implementation of the quality policy will bring about the improvement of the quality of products and services which are manufactured or provided in Nigeria,” she said.

Represented by Alhaji Auwalu Uba, North-West Zonal Coordinator of the Department, Emenbu said the meeting was necessitated by the need to actualise the implementation of the Nigeria National Quality Policy (NNQP), approved by President Muhammadu Buhari on Jan. 27, 2021.

According to her, the primary purpose of the stakeholders’ engagement is to provide laws and regulations that will upgrade weights and measures services or the legal metrology practices from global best practices as well as guarantee the quality of Made-in-Nigeria products.

“The current global trends in weights and measures administration necessitated that certain aspects of the existing Act are to be review to accommodate global best practices in legal metrology,” Emenbu said.

According to her, the Act is the legislation that confers power on inspectors of the Weights and Measures department to ensure that measurements of trade are accurate, fair, transparent, uniform and legal.

The director, however, said the department has transited from the pre-colonial usage of traditional weights and measures of imperial weight and measures standards formulated in 1917, to the use of metric units, standards and systems of measurement in the post-colonial era with effect from January 1, 1979.

Emenbu said the post – colonial system of weights and measurement would enhance trust in trade relations within and outside the country.

Earlier, the Assistant Director, Training, Legal Metrology, Weights and Measures Department, Mr Ogheneruemu Okerhe, said engaging stakeholders in the current arrangement was crucial for greater input on the reviewed regulations.

Okerhe said the ministry was engaging stakeholders on the fifth and eighth schedules of the Act, with many sectoral bodies within the country.

He listed five main areas of concern of legal metrology to include units of measurement, weighing and measuring instruments, measurement processes, the person carrying out the measuring process and the net content on pre-packaged goods.

Some of the stakeholders who contributed at the meeting, said the standard weight and measures would ensure that people have value for their money.

They also described the Weights and Measures Department as important towards ensuring effective regulation of producers by enforcing accurate measures.