In order to protect consumers and discourage activities of dubious importers, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has destroyed fake and substandard products estimated at over N450 million.
The destruction exercise took place at the agency’s dumpsite in Epe, Lagos State recently.
Osita Aboloma, director-general, SON, said the products were intercepted and impounded by the agency’s compliance and enforcement team located at various points across the country, particularly in Lagos, stressing that the agency would not relent in its fight against fake and substandard goods in the country.
Aboloma said substandard goods were dangerous to lives, properties and the nation’s economic health, calling on all stakeholders to join in the campaign to get rid of such products wherever they existed in the country.
“We are destroying these substandard products worth over N450 million. These products have been labelled substandard after we carried out due diligence and conformity assessment to requisite standards on them,” he said.
According to him, the products all failed the conformity and integrity tests, saying that the decision to destroy them was to save lives and property of Nigerians who could fall victims and prey to these killer-products if allowed to circulate.
“The substandard products we are destroying today ranges from bulbs, cables, tyres, shaving sticks and aluminium coils, among others. We decided to perform the destruction exercise on two sites in Ogba and Epe.
We are destroying especially the expired tyres and bad aluminium coils at our Ogba warehouse. The tyres and coils require specialised mechanical equipment as well as special handling for their destruction as their particles could be recycled and useful for other industrial purposes,” he explained.
“SON is ever ready to clean the markets and the Nigerian environment of substandard products. We will continue to impound and destroy such products and go after their importers, manufacturers and dealers in accordance with the provisions of SON Act 14 of 2015,” he assured.
In another development, SON has urged manufacturers to adopt policies and practices that protect and sustain the environment.
Notable of these practices is ISO 14001:2015, which is a globally accepted environmental practice or standard that improves business efficiency and profitability while protecting the environment.
According to SON, importation of substandard products into the country was one of environmentally-unfriendly practices as most of the items found their way into the streets since they were not durable.
“Environmental management is necessary because each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water. Again, every time a ton of steel is recycled, it means 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,000 pounds of coal, and 40 pounds of limestone will not have to be mined from the earth,” Timothy Abna, executive trainer, SON, said at the ISO 14001:2015 sensitisation programme held in Lagos on Tuesday.
According to Abna, it was important for Nigerian manufacturers to adopt and implement the globally accepted ISO 14001:2015 framework, as it provided a framework for holistic and strategic approach to an organisation’s environmental policy, plans and actions.
He said implementation of ISO 14001:2015 framework would increase efficiency in the use of energy and resources while reducing waste outputs.
ODINAKA ANUDU
