The Senate Committee on Industry has called for the return of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to the nation’s ports.
Sen. Sam Egwu, chairman of the committee made the call on Monday, during an oversight function to SON’s offices and laboratories in Lagos.
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) had ordered the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), among others to vacate the nation’s seaports.
The directive was in line with a new order issued to NPA by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).
But Egwu said that the absence of the agency was greatly felt at the ports and called on stakeholders in the sector to begin facilitating its return.
He stressed that it was necessary for the agency to have first-hand information on goods berthing on the shores of the country before being allowed into the markets.
He said that Nigeria as a large scale importing country must have its standard organisation at the nation’s point of entry, in order to ascertain the quality of goods coming in.
“We cannot overemphasis the issue of standardisation, because it is the core for every manufacturing output. We are not happy that SON has not been allowed to operate at its maximum capacity especially with their presence being felt at the port.
“Nigeria is import dependent, with porous borders and for them not to be at the port to inspect these goods first hand is not good enough. They should be allowed to be at the port to see these products before they enter into the market.
“We have observed some products come into the country from countries that do not have standards all cloned with SON logo. This is certainly not good for the Nigerian economy.
“The discovery by the SON deterred such goods from getting into the hands of unsuspecting consumers,” he said.
He commended operations of the agency in its fight to combat fake and substandard goods, and restated the committee’s support.
“From what I have seen so far, I want to say that they have impressed us as a committee with their efforts to ensure that products are being standardised.
“They have also judiciously put to use the appropriation funds given to them to deliver on their mandate,” he said.
Members of the committee were taken to SON’s one-stop office in Apapa and its multi-billion laboratory complex in Ogba with about 38 laboratories.
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