By Emmanuel Kehinde, Ilorin
Director-General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Farooq Salim, has urged the federal government to allow the agency to establish its presence in the nation’s ports to effectively check influx of substandard products into the country.
The Chairman of KAM Holdings- a leading steel manufacturing company based in Ilorin, Kwara State Capital, Alhaji 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.
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 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.
While 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.
On our part, Yusuf asked SON to invest more on technologies that will help rid the country of substandard steel products.
He declared the preparedness of KAM Holdings to work with the SON in ensuring that standards are upheld in the iron and steel sector of the country.
