Patronise Made-in-Nigeria Goods To Grow The Economy, SON Urges Nigerians

Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Mallam Farouk Salim has advised Nigerians to stop the importation of substandard goods and rather look inwards to patronise made-in-Nigeria goods to grow the local economy.

He disclosed this during a visit to four manufacturing companies at various locations in Port Harcourt.

At different meetings with the Chief Executives of Notore Nigeria Plc, Indorama Nigeria Plc, Bua Group and Dufil Nigeria Limited in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, the DG SON said the importation of substandard goods was killing the manufacturing sector and fuelling insecurity.

According to Salim, many companies have closed in the last few years, because they could not compete with the imported substandard goods.

He complained that the preference of some Nigerians for cheap products.

Salim said the lack of patronage of local goods had led to factory closures with resultant unemployment which has led many into banditry, terrorism and kidnapping.

Salim stated that if the youth were gainfully employed, the incidence of these crimes would be minimal because there would be disposable income for citizens to meet basic needs; therefore, the lure for the crime would be reduced.

He also used the opportunity with the Chief Executives of the companies to enlighten the CEOs of SON’s competencies in the areas of Testing products at the organisation’s laboratory complex comprising of thirty-eight individual labs and accredited Food. Others are Electrical/Electronics and Chemical Technology labs as well as facilitating world-class ISO Management System Certification and other ISO training through the organisation’s internationally accredited Training Center.

According to Salim, the Organisation apart from the Manufacturing Conformity is ready to collaborate with the industry in improving its products and services by offering world-class training in Management Systems, Health and Occupational Hazard, Environmental management systems, Food Safety Management Systems and many courses at very affordable in the local currency and executable on on-site for the companies.

The DG mentioned other interventions, such as in the area of Metrology which the Organisation is the Statutory custodian of the Standards fulfilling the requirements of providing a National Quality Infrastructure (NQI), with an improved capacity of calibrating weighing equipment through its newly acquired mobile calibration trucks.

He added that these calibration trucks can be dispatched to any part of the country to effectively calibrate weighbridges and weighing equipment in factories and manufacturing plants for companies to meet quality assurance targets.

According to Salim, all these and more are the interventions SON has been executing to protect our industries and to ensure they remain functional in a healthy, competitive atmosphere to boost the nation’s socio-economic fortunes.