The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has destroyed substandard electric cables, engine oil, LPG cylinders, stuffed new tyres, unapproved cigarettes and low grade roofing sheets.
While destroying the substandard products in Lagos on Wednesday, Director General of SON, Mallam Farouk Salim, noted that the products affected the nation’s economy negatively.
Salim said all the products destroyed were imported into the country and smuggled through the ports.
He, therefore, called for the return of SON to the ports to help minimise the damage done by substandard products to the nation’s economy.
According to him, destroying the substandard products is to assure Nigerians that SON is actually destroying them after obtaining court order to that effect.
“Most of these substandard products were captured in the market where they are ready to be sold to customers and the unfortunate thing is that they passed through our ports.
“It will be much easier for these substandard products to be detected if our employees are at the source of the import of these products,” he said.
According to him, SON is not always invited for joint inspection, and that invitations for joint inspection are rare and far in-between.
“I guarantee you that if our officers have opportunity to inspect these products, the moment they look at it from experience, they will be able to detect the substandard goods.
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“Don’t forget that officers of the customs service are trained to check for duty, they have no idea of how to detect substandard products easily, and our personnel are trained on how to check these products,” he said.
The SON boss said unfortunately its officers had no unfettered access as stipulated by the constitution.
“Unless the law is changed by the National Assembly, signed by the president, the law says SON must and should be at the port, not at the discretion of any organisation,” he said.
He said SON had made arrests, like the person in the Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA) producing fake lubrication fluid, presently in jail to be taken to court soon.
Mrs. Bisiriyu Adesewa, Assistant Chief Scientific Officer, Sector Head (Domestic Rubber) National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Lagos Liaison Office, said NESREA was present to ensure proper disposal of the products.
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