SON Impounds Sub-Standard Cables In Anambra

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has impounded sub-standard imported cables worth more than N100 million and sealed-up two shops at the Electrical Dealers International Market in Obosi in Anambra State.

Head of SON, Anambra  Mr. Yahaya Bukar told newsmen  that Scan Cables International Ltd., which is the importer of the foreign cables, attached the Nigeria Industry Standard (NIS) logo on the imported substandard cables.

Bukar said that the company mixed up the foreign cables, “which is sub-standard with local cables, which had been guaranteed by SON’’.

“If your product is not manufactured in Nigeria and it is bearing the NIS logo; it means that you want to just sneak in the country and mix-up with the ones that are being manufactured in Nigeria.

“And as far as cable is concerned, the Nigerian cables or cables that are manufactured in Nigeria are the best cables in the world”, he said.

“Anybody that is bringing in a cable from outside and using the NIS logo, it means that is either sub-standard and wants to find its way into the market or is trying to deceive the market people that they are also part of Nigeria. “So, we want to separate those ones that are manufactured in Nigeria and those ones that are imported because SON had been fighting sub-standard cables for the past how many years, several years”, he added.

Bukar urged traders in Onitsha to desist from cutting corners and ensure they followed SON laid- down regulations, adding: “Dr Joseph Odumodu, Director-General of SON, has vowed to deal ruthlessly with traders toying with standards in the country.’’

“The other traders should know that if you are not a manufacturer in Nigeria you should not bear the mark of quality.

“The NIS is the mark of quality and it’s only issued to products that are manufactured in Nigeria.

“If you are not a producer in Nigeria, if you are bringing in any product from outside, you should first of all, get you SONCAP, that is the quality certificate they will issue on the product before you bring it in”.

“Get the SON CAP and get your product registered. That is when you are bringing in your product from abroad. “But if you are manufacturing it here, you try to get MANCAP.

“The DG’s mission now is to ensure that all the products that are manufactured in Nigeria or those ones that are imported meet the requirement of the consumers.

“We are all consumers and nobody wants to wastes his money buying sub-standard products.”

Mr Achema Alewa, Zonal Co-ordinator of SON, Lagos, who led the enforcement, warned the market executives of possible shutting of the market if the issues of unauthorised NIS and sub-standard products arose again.

“If we come back here and find any of these again it will be total raid of this market and its close-down by the Federal Government,’’ Alewa warned.

In his reaction, Mr. Okechukwu Ezeonyeaku, former Secretary of the Market, appealed to SON to involve the executives of the market when carrying out their enforcement, noting: “We would never be confrontational with the government, but we want them to carry us along.