The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has restated its commitment to safeguarding lives in the country, restating the importance of its presence at the ports.
The agency made the reiteration at an enforcement exercise and seizure of substandard products worth about N600 million at a warehouse located in a remote area in Ogun State.
The Director General, Mallam Farouk Salim used the opportunity to lament the continued absence of the SON at the nation’s ports, saying that the fight against substandard goods was best fought at the points of entry.
The Director General said the seizure was not punitive but to ensure that the tyres did not find their way into the nation’s markets.
He explained that the tyres were stuffed in over 100 containers, noting that by that, the integrity of the tyres had been compromised.
‘’This is a very dangerous situation because people’s lives are at stake and our roads are not safe because of something like this.
“We have no idea how these tyres got into this country; we are not at the ports and it did not come through us and they do not have papers with us that the goods have been cleared”, he said.
According to the DG, had the SON been at the ports, there was no way the entry of about 100 containers would have eluded the notice of its men.
“It is a very dangerous trend and this is why we are still emphasizing that the best way to enforce it is to be at the point of entry. This is why about 100 containers slipped through the ports and ended up in the warehouse,’’ he added.
According to the SON boss, those tyres with no economic value were like time bombs waiting to explode; but however maintained that the agency would stop at nothing at ensuring that substandard tyres did not find their ways into the hands of unsuspecting consumers in the country.
Commenting on the good relationship between the SON and Customs, he underscored greater synergy amongst sister agencies as sure way of combating the menace of substandard goods.
‘’Our message to importers is that we are coming for unscrupulous importers and we are not ready for compromise and we will prosecute. There is no way we can salvage these tyres so we are going to destroy them,’’ he added.
‘‘We have arrested the manager of the warehouse, but the owner of the product is a foreigner and happens to be outside of the country and we are sure he would come to explain himself and if he does not, we will just prosecute the manager and anybody involved in this property.’’
The DG also lamented the fact that importers of substandard products had continued their nefarious activities, despite increasing sensitization programmes by his agency.
He therefore enjoined member of the public to always insist on quality goods as the only way to drive Nigeria’s Industrialization drive.
Explaining how they import substandard products, the Manager of the warehouse, Emmanuel Ogbagu, said they normally hire outside labour who after unstuffing the products, rebrand it and move it to the market.
He said he was equally aware of the enormous possibility of entire families being wiped out for reason of driving on substandard tyres.
Ogbagu also informed the enforcement team that the warehouse employed manpower from outside to un-stuff the tyres and rewrap them for onward movement to markets across the country.
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