The Director General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Malam Farouk Salim, has urged Nigerians to avoid buying uncertified products that could pose a risk to their well-being.
According to The Punch, Salim made this announcement during SON’s Special Day event, which took place on Thursday at the ongoing 34th Enugu International Trade Fair in Enugu.
Salim advised Nigerians to verify if a product has the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Program logo before purchasing it. He explained that the logo indicates that the product has undergone inspection, sampling, and laboratory analysis.
Furthermore, Salim clarified that the MANCAP logo is only applicable to locally-manufactured goods.
In contrast, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Off-Shore Conformity Assessment Programme is for imported products. He added that the MANCAP logo signifies that a product has been subject to quality checks to ensure that it is safe for consumers to use.
“With it, the quality of any product is assured and guaranteed,” he added.
The Director of the South-East Regional Operations Directorate of SON, Engr. Fred Akingbesote, who was representing Salim, explained that the trade fair provided SON with a platform to educate both local and international manufacturers about the importance of the organization in ensuring standardization.
In addition, the Director General emphasized that Micro-, Small-, and Medium-sized Enterprises have a crucial role to play in the growth and development of the country’s industrialization.
In his words, “We will keep encouraging and creating enabling environments for the sector to be part of the standardization process to ensure that products emanating from them meet global standards.
“Our target is to grow their businesses by offering them our services to ensure standardization of the processes and products they bring into the market.”
Salim stressed that if manufacturers do not comply with government regulations regarding product quality and standards after being advised by SON, their companies may face sanctions.
He explained that the services offered by SON to ensure standardization include standard testing, import safety at ports/borders, training and technical advice, metrology and instrumentation, as well as product certification.
The President of Enugu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Jasper Nduagwuike, praised the organization’s efforts to improve product standards in his welcoming speech.
Nduagwuike, represented by the First Deputy President of ECCIMA, Odega Jideonwu, acknowledged that while some progress has been made in raising product standards, more work needs to be done to achieve high levels of standardization for both local and foreign products.
He guaranteed Nigerians that the organization is committed to supporting entrepreneurs in achieving their aspirations and becoming a significant contributor to their success.
