Officials of the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) have ordered closure of two steel manufacturing factories in Ikorodu, Lagos state for alleged production of substandard iron rods.
The SON task force team, which stormed the African Steel Mill Nigeria Limited factory and African Foundries Limited, Ikorodu, on Tuesday, reportedly met four trucks loaded with substandard products among other empty trucks.
Commending the efforts of the SON task force team, the president of the Iron Rod Distributors Association of Nigeria (IRDAN), Chief Gbenga Awoyale, said that the substandard steel products from the factories had been traced to a distributor’s store in Alimosho, Lagos state.
“Officials of SON ensured the loaded trucks were offloaded and directed the companies to remelt and reproduce the substandard products to quality standard. SON official also shutdown the factories”, he said.
Recall that IRDAN had last week, commended the director general/CEO of the organization, Mr. Farouk Salim, over the actions taken against economic saboteurs, who he said distributed substandard steel products into Nigerian markets.
Chief Awoyale, who commended the SON for “taking the bull by the horns by closing down the steel manufacturing factories”, said that “We are elated to be informed about the sealing of the factories in Ikorodu, where the substandard steel products traced to a distributor’s store in Alimosho was manufactured. It reaffirms our confidence in SON to spear no efforts in sanitizing the manufacturing sector and ensure Nigerians have access to only quality products.
“While commending the unusual stride of the SON, we further demand justice for millions of Nigerian consumers of these substandard products by prosecuting the culprits, to serve as deterrent to other manufacturers who forms the habit of producing substandard products for Nigeria markets, while producing high quality products for exports”, he stressed.
IRDAN, which said that the owner of the two factories; being the biggest steel manufacturer in the country, often times dictate the pace in the sector in Nigeria, urged the SON DG to use his good office to assure Nigerians that no one is above the laws by ensuring diligent prosecution in accordance with SON Act 14 of 2015″.
