The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has said that anybody who is calling for the scrapping of the Standards Organization of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) is a mischief maker.
The Deputy Director, Inspectorate and Compliance Directorate (ICD), Engr. Enebi Onucheyo who stated this in an interview with our correspondent in Lagos on Friday asked those who were pushing for scrapping of SONCAP to come up with an alternative.
Onucheyo challenged stakeholders to come up with any product that came into this country with SONCAP certificate and went through SONCAP processes that was substandard.
His words, “Anybody who is calling for scrapping of SONCAP is a mischief maker and I stand on what I am telling you. If they want SONCAP scrapped, let them bring alternative. Like I said and I continue say this, any product that come into this country that has SONCAP certificate that went through SONCAP process and it is substandard, bring it up. If you have one bring it up.”
On engagement of third parties to issue SONCAP, the Deputy Director said, “What is wrong with that? Let me tell you now, we can’t be everywhere in the world. If you have to send SON staff to be in each of these countries, do you know how much it is going to cost this government? That is serious money, so, what we do is even private organizations these day, blue chip companies, they can say okay, our human resources, we don’t want to manage it, they get a consultant, enter an agreement and then, they manage it for them and they pay them for that.
“So, SONCAP is something that generate money, there are percentages that go to the federal government account and how much they take as their own service charge for the service they are rendering and these people have world class accredited laboratories, each and every one of them. Those laboratories have been inspected and certified, they have their accreditation. So, any result from any of those laboratories can be traced anywhere in the world.”
On cloning and hawking of SONCAP abroad by fraudsters, Onucheyo maintained that although it may be possible before now, it was no longer possible now.
“You know why? This thing is real time online, the moment you finish, we in Nigeria here can view your certificate to tell whether this is authentic or not. We have taken care of all that; may be, it used to be when they started but not now”, he concluded.
Asked to confirm the insinuations that SON now pay less attention to MANCAP, he retorted, “We don’t pay less attention to MANCAP. By the special grace of God, I am the Chairman, Special Task Force. Recently, you may have read that we have shut down about 13 steel manufacturers. Why? We went to the market to try buy the product. Anytime our people are going to their factory to visit them, it is mandatory you write to them to inform them. They visit them four times in a year, you write to them informing them that you are coming on a particular date. That day you are coming, everything will be fine, pick any sample that day, test it, everything will be good.
“We now say, if these things are good and complaints are still coming that what they have in the market is substandard, then, let us go to the market and find out. We went to the market all over Nigeria, bought the samples and took to the lab to test, those thirteen steel companies, their products failed and that was why we went and shut them down until corrective actions were taken, those we found in the market were taken back into their furnace.
“So, that is the way it goes, we are not paying less attention to MANCAP. Why are companies still getting MANCAP certification up till today if we are paying less attention to it? Before your goods can even go to the market, you have to let us know, you have to start your certification process and that is why we created an option of Fast Track Certification for locally manufactured goods. Within six months, you have your certificate; your goods can go into the market.”
He urged those who have goods to export to any country to contact SON noting that the country the goods were destined to, in most cases, may require the exporter to get in touch with the standard body of the exporting country in order to get those goods tested.
“Sometimes, maybe, the day the inspection will be carried out by us, the people would want to come and be part of that team. We go round, check round, get the sample, test it and then issue certificate before it can go, we do that”, he stated.
Send your news, press releases/articles to augustinenwadinamuo@yahoo.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @ptreporters and on Facebook on facebook.com/primetimereporters or call the editor on 07030661526, 08053908817.
