Yemisi Izuora
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), is to offer rewards to genuine importers who transact businesses in compliance to the minimum requirements of the Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS).
The Director General, SON, Osita Aboloma, explained that this move was in line with the present administration’s Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) mandate.
According to the DG, the agency would incentivise genuine importers by way of registration, reducing port charges and speedy clearance of containers.
Aboloma at a nationwide awareness programme on dangers of substandard
products in circulation in Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, said,” If you are a genuine importer and you consistently do the right thing, we will
reduce your processes, by extension, we have been able to assess your risk,
your clearance and registration of the goods you are bringing in will come in
easier and faster and at the same time, the unscrupulous importers would
be blacklisted. It is my believe that this would make unscrupulous importers
desist from the illicit trade of substandard goods.”
He added: “We do risk profiling for the importers that gets it right. We
encourage them and we have automated our processes to make it easier for them and those that defaults, we will blacklist them by sending their names to China so that they do not work with them to import fake and substandard products into the country, so it is a mere use of carrot and stick approach to fight against substandard products.”
Also speaking at the event, the president Balogun Business Association (BBA)
Alex Obi Igbokwe, said the association would set up a standard club to the
activities of unscrupulous businessmen in the market.
“We are going to flag off a standard club in the association in a bid to checkmate the activities of these importers; this would go a long way to curb the influx of fake and substandard products into the country. As it affects the economy, it also affects us too, because most of our customers are running away as a result of purchasing substandard goods. If they buy goods that does not meet their needs, they will not come back to buy
another time, so for that reason there is need for us to sit up. The standard
club will also help to curtail the activities of these so-called unscrupulous
importers.”
“We are going back to spread this message to our members, because they
must get to know about this fight against substandard products. I believe
that our people need orientation and sensitisation especially thebusinessmen and importers. I believe together we will achieve a lot of success in our markets,” he said.
Recall that SON and BBA had earlier in the year partnered to reduce the
influx of fake and substandard goods in the country.
He noted that SON decided to partner with the association because it is the
biggest single market in West African region, pointing out that the association is the best and the most reasonable place to start our fight against substandard goods.
“We want to them to know that if they certify and register their products,
they will not be affected by the wrath of the law. We are coming against the
perpetrators of substandard goods with all the laws available to us as an
agency. It is no longer going to be business as usual. It is either you close
your shops, move away from our markets or you have us to contend with,” he warned.
The event also featured SON Directors taking participants through some of
the agency’s core activities which include product registration, standards
development, compliance, laboratory services, ports and border operation to mention a few.