SON, NSCDC Strengthen Fight Against Substandard Products in Anambra
Samuel Mobolaji
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has intensified its crackdown on substandard products in Anambra State by seeking a stronger partnership with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
During a visit to NSCDC Commandant in Anambra, Mr. Olatunde Maku, SON’s Head of Inspectorate and Compliance for the South-South and South-East, Mr. Unuja Ndukwe, stressed the need for enhanced collaboration to combat the influx of fake and substandard goods.
“The spread of counterfeit products poses a serious threat to consumer safety and the economy. Strong partnerships and intelligence sharing between agencies are crucial in eliminating these threats,” Ndukwe stated in Awka on Friday.
Echoing this stance, SON’s State Coordinator in Anambra, Mr. Emmanuel Hussaini, highlighted the success of ongoing enforcement efforts made possible through NSCDC’s cooperation.
“Substandard goods endanger lives and businesses. Our joint enforcement campaigns have significantly curbed the distribution of harmful products in the state,” Hussaini added.
In response, Commandant Maku reaffirmed NSCDC’s commitment to working with SON to ensure consumer protection.
“This collaboration strengthens our resolve to safeguard the public from counterfeit products. We remain fully committed to supporting SON’s enforcement efforts,” Maku said.
The renewed partnership will drive more aggressive enforcement operations and consumer awareness campaigns, ensuring that only standardised and certified products reach Anambra’s markets.
The move comes amid a broader nationwide effort to eliminate counterfeit goods. Recently, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) destroyed expired, falsified, and unregistered products worth an estimated N100 billion. The agency also shut down illegal drug hubs in Abia and Lagos, sealing over 3,000 shops in Idumota’s Open Drug Market, where it discovered vaccines stored in hazardous conditions.
As of February 2025, NAFDAC had destroyed substandard and counterfeit pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and cosmetics worth N4.7 billion in the South-South region alone. With SON and NSCDC ramping up enforcement in Anambra, authorities are sending a strong message to distributors of fake and substandard goods that non-compliance will not be tolerated.
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