The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has started the process of building an ultra modern laboratory in Lagos to facilitate the assessment of quality of products, imported or locally manufactured.

Its Director-General, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, made the pronouncement in Abuja on Sunday when he spoke with our correspondent.

He said the building of an internationally-recognised quality assessment laboratory was a major focus of the agency.

“We have also started the process of building a new ultra modern lab in Lagos, Ogba; we already have the land; everything is done, the plans are there and hopefully the contract will be awarded within the next two or three weeks.

“We already started the process of acquiring the equipment; that lab will be a multi-functional lab; it will have metrology which is about measurement. It will have micro toxin because of food and water and all that. It will also have paint and electrical and civil engineering.”

Odumodu told newsmen that SON was equally making efforts to refurbish the three existing laboratories in the country.

“We currently have Laboratories in Enugu, Lagos and Kaduna.

“The Enugu laboratory covers products in electrical engineering and all that, we also have laboratory in Lagos covering electrical engineering as well as paints, micro toxin and others.

“Then, we have a laboratory in Kaduna for textiles and leathers. Those, like I said do not meet the minimum standard; we intend to refurbish those labs.”

He noted that the international community was yet to accept SON’s assessment because its laboratories were not internationally-certified.

This, he said, was not encouraging for effective operation of the agency.

Odumodu also told our correspondent that paucity of funds and inadequate manpower were other challenges of the organisation which has only about 1000 employees in its nominal role.

Odumodu called on the Federal Government to open up avenues for the organisation to increase its staff strength for it to be able to deliver on its mandate effectively.

“Today, SON has just a 1,000 people and we are asking government that we need 2,000 people because we need to do a good job, otherwise we will only focus on the few of the activities and if you do that people will blame you on the ones you have not focused on.”

“SON has a huge mandate; our mandate covers not just products, but services.

“I am sure today for example, we all are aware that every time you make a call, you almost lose your breath because the call is dropping, but that not how calls are made in other parts of the world.

“So, we are also elaborating standards to ensure that call quality meets minimum standards, we are also looking at even ‘Tokunbo’ vehicles.”

Odumodu also said that SON would soon beam its searchlight on the importation of used vehicles to safeguard Nigerians from buying fuel guzzlers in today’s environment of withdrawal of fuel subsidy.

He added that it would introduce routine checks on petroleum products alongside the introduction of certain other standards like emission control and fuel efficiency.

“From next week, we will launch a new testing regime for petroleum products; we want to make sure that consumers get value for money in terms of quality, because a lot of products are adulterated to make profit.

“Our experience is that consumers are getting a lot less and we have a responsibility to ensure that we engage the consumer and protect them.”