SON Destroys N450m Worth of Substandard Products

Jonathan Eze

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has destroyed fake and substandard products valued at over N450 million in a move to prevent access to such items in the markets and discourage activities of importers of such products.

The Director-General of SON, Osita Aboloma, explained that SON would not relent in its fight against fake and substandard goods, stressing that the products were intercepted and impounded by the agency’s compliance and enforcement team located at various points across the country particularly in Lagos.

Aboloma, during the destruction exercise which took place at the agency’s dumpsite in Epe, Lagos State, told THISDAY, that substandard goods are dangerous to lives, property and the nation’s economic health, calling on all stakeholders including the media to join in the campaign to get rid of such products wherever they exist 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 failed the conformity and integrity tests, maintaining that the decision to destroy them was to save lives and property of Nigerians who may 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 aluminum coils among others. We decided to perform the destruction exercise on two sites-Ogba and Epe.

“We are destroying especially the expired tyres and bad aluminum 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,” the director general added.

He noted that the destruction is a clear signal to all and sundry particularly purveyors, importers and dealers in fake and substandard products that Nigeria is no longer a dumping ground for substandard products.

“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.
According to him, “This is one of the ways to protect the Nigerian economy to allow local industries to thrive. We insist that Nigeria will never be a dumping ground for substandard products from any part of the world.”