News
Nigerians Spend N1trn On Fake Products Import – SON
Nigerians spent over N1 trillion on the importation of fake and sub-standard products last year, the Director General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Mr Joseph Odumodu,, has said.
Odumodu disclosed this yesterday in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
He listed the imported items to include electrical accessories, switches, batteries, used refrigerators and air conditioners and other environment degrading materials and junks.
Odumodu said the agency seized and evacuated about 20 trucks of fake energy saving bulbs, substandard iron rods and fake tyres.
He expressed concern at the rate at which fake tyres are imported into the country, and said that most importers of second hand tyres “do not usually buy them but are paid to help dispose them of by foreign countries.
Odumodu said that all countries have challenges with disposing off expired tyres.
“The life span of a tyre in Europe and America ranges between four years and five years, and an average European or American will remove his tyres, even if they have not covered 10,000 km, for safety reasons.
“Our people go to those sites where they keep tyres to pick them; actually they don’t buy them.
“I am even told that they pay them to help them dispose of the tyres and where do they dispose the tyres but in Nigeria; so they bring them to us,’’ he said.
The director general said the agency was saddled with the challenge and task of how to dispose of the seized tyres and had resolved not to burn them because of the impact on the environment.
“We don’t want to burn them as we will be polluting the environment; nor can we throw them into the sea; we must protect the aquatic life,’’ he said.
Odumodu, however, said the agency was discussing with investors on the possibility of setting up tyre shredding plants in the country.
Meanwhile, the former President, Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (ICCON) Mr Harry Okolo,, has said that the country loses about N1 trillion annually to importation of industrial raw materials.
Okolo made this known while speaking with newsmen yesterday at the ongoing Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) techno-expo and silver jubilee.
He said that the country lost N1 trillion to the importation of between 80 per cent and 90 per cent industrial raw materials needed in the manufacturing and construction sectors of the economy.
Okolo said that the problem was not the non-availability of raw materials locally, but the inability of Nigerians to transform available natural resources to utilisable forms.
He urged the government and the organised private sector, to look inward and study the road map to industrial development as put together by the RMRDC in the past 25 years.
“If the industrial sector continues to depend on imported raw materials without investing in local raw materials development and utilisation, industrial development will remain a mirage,’’ Okolo said.
He commended RMRDC for its efforts in the following some secondary raw materials that were abundantly available in the country.
They include precipitated calcium carbonate, hydrated lime, glucose syrup and starch and high quality cassava flour.
Okolo said, “I believe Nigeria has a comparative advantages in the development and utilisation of these raw materials.
“If commercially exploited and developed, they can earn and save the nation huge foreign reserves.”
Okolo said that for Nigerian economy to be competitive at the global level, efforts must be made to produce goods and services with global perspectives, targeting global competitiveness.
He said, “We must spare no effort to look inward to tap, develop and utilise the locally available raw materials.
“Government must make concert effort to address the critical issues of transparency, responsible governance, power generation, public private partnership, infrastructure and security.
“So, the country will have to provide a healthy environment for industrial transformation and investment.”
He said that if the industrial potentials of Nigeria could be maximally harnessed through the concerted and joint efforts of government, private sector and academia, the transformation agenda and vision 20:20-20 of the nation could be realised.
He listed the imported items to include electrical accessories, switches, batteries, used refrigerators and air conditioners and other environment degrading materials and junks.
Odumodu said the agency seized and evacuated about 20 trucks of fake energy saving bulbs, substandard iron rods and fake tyres.
He expressed concern at the rate at which fake tyres are imported into the country, and said that most importers of second hand tyres “do not usually buy them but are paid to help dispose them of by foreign countries.
Odumodu said that all countries have challenges with disposing off expired tyres.
“The life span of a tyre in Europe and America ranges between four years and five years, and an average European or American will remove his tyres, even if they have not covered 10,000 km, for safety reasons.
“Our people go to those sites where they keep tyres to pick them; actually they don’t buy them.
“I am even told that they pay them to help them dispose of the tyres and where do they dispose the tyres but in Nigeria; so they bring them to us,’’ he said.
The director general said the agency was saddled with the challenge and task of how to dispose of the seized tyres and had resolved not to burn them because of the impact on the environment.
“We don’t want to burn them as we will be polluting the environment; nor can we throw them into the sea; we must protect the aquatic life,’’ he said.
Odumodu, however, said the agency was discussing with investors on the possibility of setting up tyre shredding plants in the country.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million pills of tramadol concealed in two long trailers heading for Kano as it intensified efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor.
The agency also arrested an 80-year-old suspected drug dealer in Rivers State, a businesswoman linked to cannabis shipments from Canada, a Chadian woman, a couple and other suspects in coordinated operations across Lagos, Edo, Kogi and Rivers states.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday.
According to the statement, the latest intelligence-led operation came barely one week after NDLEA operatives recovered 558,900 pills of tramadol concealed in the false-bottom compartment of a truck that entered Lagos through the Togo-Benin Republic route.
Babafemi said, “Ongoing efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo, through Benin Republic into Nigeria have yielded another success with the interception of two long trailers used to move One Million Six Hundred and Thirty (1,630,000) pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in fabricated compartments of the trucks across multiple borders into Lagos.”
He added that one of the two trailers was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where operatives recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor.
Babafemi said, “One of the two trucks already heading to Kano was tracked and located on 2nd July 2026 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where NDLEA officers recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the trailer and arrested the 22-year-old driver Jabir Kabiru.”
He further disclosed that another trailer was intercepted two days later on the same route.
“Two days later, 4th July, NDLEA operatives acting on processed intelligence successfully tracked and recovered the second trailer from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while heading to Kano. A total of 777,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the truck were evacuated and the 22-year-old driver Muhammed Nuhu arrested,” the statement read.
According to Babafemi, investigations established a link between the three intercepted consignments.
He said, “Investigations revealed that all three trucks and consignments intercepted on 21st June, 2nd July and 4th July belong to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.”
The agency also intercepted 4.70 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Babafemi said, “Two consignments of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 4.70 kilograms have been intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The cargoes, which arrived the Lagos airport from Canada in cartons with ‘Odugwu’ boldly written on them, came aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on 24th June and 3rd July respectively.”
He said two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, were initially arrested in connection with the shipments, while another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was apprehended after arriving at a logistics company to take delivery of the consignments.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has denied claims that it has commenced registration for a purported ?50,000 National Support Allowance.
The ministry, in a public notice posted on its official X handle, yesterday, described messages, links and websites advertising the alleged programme as fraudulent.
It urged Nigerians to disregard such claims and verify information only through official government channels.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has NOT commenced registration for any ?50,000 National Support Allowance,” the ministry said.
It added, “Disregard fraudulent messages, links and websites claiming otherwise. Verify any info only through official govt channels.”
The alert is in response to a circulating scam flyer that falsely claims the program is ongoing under President Bola Tinubu’s directives.
The fake advertisement, which includes text in Hausa and English, directs victims to a suspicious website (kluspz.com) for applications.
The ministry’s warning comes amid heightened concerns over digital fraud targeting vulnerable populations seeking social support.
Similar scams have previously surfaced around programs like N-Power, prompting questions from citizens in replies to the official post.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its preparedness for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, hinted at this while making his remarks at the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.
Ajaero said it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
He advised workers and pensioners to get prepared for the ideological and economic battles that lie ahead.
According to the NLC president, “The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) is one of the proud affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Therefore, your struggle is our struggle, and your welfare remains a priority for the organised labour movement.
“We are currently in the preparatory stages for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
“However, let me state unequivocally that it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not only push for a new national minimum wage but will also demand the establishment of a national minimum pension. It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement.”
Ajaero noted that the cost of living has risen astronomically as food, healthcare and transportation have become increasingly unaffordable.
“We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation,” he said.
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He said the completion of the project should serve as a clarion call to all workers and lovers of the masses.
“We must not only build physical structures but also build a strong movement capable of compelling government to honour its commitments,” he said.
Ajaero further stated: “We will continue to demand the immediate payment of all outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension regime that guarantees every retiree a life of dignity and security.
“Together, we shall continue to fight until every Nigerian worker and pensioner receives the justice, respect and welfare they deserve.”
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