Yemisi Izuora
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on Tuesday urged the Electronics Section of Alaba International Market Association, Lagos, to take adequate measures to regulate self while importing products.
The Director-General of SON, Osita Aboloma made the appeal at a sensitisation workshop and awarenesses programme with the theme: “Promoting Self-Regulation to Eradicate Sub-Standard Electronics from Nigerian Market”.
Aboloma, represented by Alhaji Kabiru Mohammed, a Director in the DG’s office, said self-regulation would ensure that sub-standard products were not imported into the country.
He said that a committee was also established in collaboration with the association to ensure they met up with the required standard, to reduce substandard products in the country.
The DG urged members of the association to go into creating brands of their own and to ensure that the products met market requirements.
“Our mission here is to bring standards to all these importers because day-in-day-out people buy sub-standard products and these traders when confronted say that they are not aware that there are existing standards in the country.
“So, we feel the best thing to do is to come to their own bus stop instead of sitting in our own offices and tell them about it and how to address the issue.
“We also want to tell them to self-regulate themselves during importation,” he said.
Aboloma said that products could also be brought in pieces and assembled in the country, and with time, they would start branding them in their own name, which would generate revenue.
He said that SON had established a task force, a committee with members of the association, and they would advise them of the Nigerian industrial standard and to be aware of what obtains in other climes.
The DG said that the quality of things bought in the Alaba Electronics Market was getting better, but there was still room for improvement.
In his own contribution, Obiora Manafa, Director, Inspectorate and Compliance Directorate, SON, told them that unbranded products fail market requirements.
He urged the traders to start producing locally in the country and produce products that meet up with standards.
According to him, one of the strategies that the SON wants to adopt with the electronics association in Alaba is for them to operate self-regulation.
He said that this would help to reduce the influx of substandard products into the country.
Manafa said that though they were complaining about power, the government was working it, and in no time all would be well.
He said that poor products get into the market because the SON does not operate in the ports again.
The director said that some of the substandard products were smuggled into the country, but once SON sees them, they are confiscated and destroyed.
“We are not happy to destroy these products because it is a waste of money both for the importers and the country and that is why we are here for the sensitisation programme.
“We want to stop them from bringing in substandard products, they should embrace good standards so that they will not have any problem with SON’’.
Paulinus Ugochukwu, Executive Chairman, International Market Association (Electronics Section), appealed for more time from the SON to enable some members who had commenced the SONCAP registration process to complete it.
According to him, it will also encourage others who are yet to commence the process to come onboard.
He added that based on this, they had set up a committee to work with SON in ensuring compliance.
“Here being a business community, we appreciate the unreserved support of Ojo Local Government and applaud the role and efforts put in by SON in sanitising and ridding the Nigerian markets of sub-standard products.
“As an association who understands the profitability and benefits of the objectives of SON and having collaborated with them in the past, we already have in existence a committee whose duty is to ensure the prohibition of substandard products in the market.
“The leadership of this association has taken and is still taking numerous measures in ensuring that this market is known as a place where you can find standard, authentic and genuine products,” he said.
He said that the Alaba electronics market, known to be the biggest single electronics market in Africa, contributes to the gross domestic product of the country and so should get support from the government.
“We wish to also appeal to the Federal Government to reconsider the re-opening of our borders to other African countries as there are several genuine businessmen and women that transact and do business legitimately and have customers in other African countries.
“We appreciate the efforts put in so far in the power sector, it will be immensely beneficial if the Federal Government can put in more effort in ensuring more regular power supply, as this will aid businesses and encourage the building of more factories,’’ he said.