The Director-General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Farooq Salim, has asked the federal government to permit the agency to establish its presence in the nation’s ports, as a better way to tackle influx of Substandard products into the country.
This is just as the Chairman of KAM Holdings, a leading steel manufacturing company based in Ilorin, Kwara State, Alh Kamoru Yusuf made case for the reintroduction of preshipmemt inspection of goods at the ports to check proliferation of arms in the country.
Salim and Yusuf spoke when the former led SON’s team on an inspection visit to KAM Holdings in Ilorin, kwara state capital on Monday.
The SON DG lamented that chasing substandard products all over the country rather than waiting for them at the ports and border stations has been challenging and highly expensive to the regulators
“It is important to note that non-involvement of SON at some ports in the country’s operations has continued to pose challenges particularly to the agency’s compliance and monitoring units,” he stated.
Why lamenteing that it is only in Nigeria that the nation’s standard organisation directorate is not at the ports to authenticate goods brought into the country, Salim said:“This is counter productive to the economy of the nation.”
“It is easier to fight the influx of substandard products at the points of entry than chasing them around all over the country in markets and warehouses, among others,” he added.
He stated that over 85 per cent of the products imported into the country daily, monthly or yearly come through the seaports and waterways, saying it would, therefore, be difficult to ignore the maritime sector operators in the quest for zero imports of substandard and unwholesome products, as well as the federal government’s ease of doing business policy.
DG also seized the occasion to seek for the support of Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) and other similar associations for the agency said “what we are getting as capital from the federal government is very meagre that can not sustain us in discharging our responsibilities maximally”
Farooq also lauded KAM Holding Ltd for playing pivotal roles in the Iron and Steel manufacturing business and setting the pace for others to emulate in line with the guidelines of SON as well as that of other regulatory agencies.
“I amd highly impressed with what I saw at KAM Holding facilities. I never expected that such a huge investment is here in Nigeria. I never thought that there is a Nigeria somewhere doing these kind of great things. I am proud of Dr. Kamoru Yusuf. Please keep the good and wonderful work up”, he added.
On his part, Yusuf asked SON to invest more on technologies that will help rid the country of substandard steel products.
He, however declared the readiness of KAM Holdings to work with the SON in ensuring that standards are upheld in the iron and steel sector of the country, noting that “we are much ready to assist and work harmoniously with SON, this time around because of sincerity of purpose of Director General” he said
In a similar development, the chairman of KAM holdings also called of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to make forex available to manufacturers, since the Apex bank have database of all the genuine manufacturers across the country, noting that this would go a long way in assisting the sector to perform maximally and create more job opportunities for the teeming unemployed people.
