A coalition of freight forwarding, shippers and traders’ associations has called on the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) to as a matter of urgency jettison the SON Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) and replace it with a more acceptable platform to encourage trade facilitation.
The coalition which made this call in a press conference in Lagos recently argued that “SON must adjust SONCAP, this SONCAP is a betrayal, it is anti-trade facilitation and will not continue.”
A former National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Eugene Nweke who spoke on behalf of the coalition submitted that SONCAP programme has not met the reality of the moment as it encourages engagement of third party who in turn issues Product Certificate without which one cannot generate SONCAP.
Nweke described SONCAP as another threat as well as another avenue to extort importers abroad.
He said, “The DG woke up the other day and said that there will be no more third party engagement; that becomes another issue within the international trade environment. This idea of SON Conformity Assessment Programme, it is either we jettison it or we come up with something that the meet the reality of time, we are 21st century.
“What they have now is no longer tenable, it is anti-trade, that is why the statement said virtually all the agencies including NAFDAC, none of them have any good intent for trade facilitation. The word trade facilitation is alien to the Nigerian port environment. This is not acceptable.
“We request the SON to jettison SONCAP and come up with something that is acceptable. Nigeria standard should be Nigeria standard not the traders’ standard. If you create an enabling environment and a level playing field, traders will comply but when you create an unequal playing field where this person goes to this port, he gets his cargo for N100,000 and he goes to port B and gets it for N200,000, how would they compete?
“Create an enabling environment, make sure that standard is equal, then let them trade and compete among themselves rather than creating unnecessary loophole that crumbles the system making living hell in our country.”
The former NAGAFF President however disclosed that the coalition would seek to have audience with the new Director General of SON, Mallam Farouk Salim in the weeks ahead where their position would be handed over to him in writing.
The coalition comprises of the Shippers’ Association Lagos State (SALS), Congregation of Freight Forwarding Practitioners of Nigeria (CREFFPON), African Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), Association of Registered Freight Forwarders Nigeria (AREFFN), Ndigbo Amaka Progressive (Traders) Association and Justice and People-Care Foundation.
Photo: Former National President of NAGAFF, Dr. Eugene Nweke (2nd right) addressing the press during the press conference in Lagos recently.
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