The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has said that Nigeria is prone to the influx of substandard products.
This was made known at a general sensitization program on Product Authentication Mark scheme in Lagos.
The Director General, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, represented by the Director, Product Certification Department, Engineer Onuchenyo Enebi, explained that the PAM initiative was introduced by SON to enable consumers verify the authenticity of all SON-regulated products in the markets in its continuous efforts to curb the influx of substandard imported goods into the country.
He lamented that imported goods account for over eighty percent of substandard goods in the country, bemoaning that the nation’s manufacturing industry is already suffering from its effect as the challenges hinder the sector’s productivity.
“This scheme places the power to detect, reject and report substandard goods in our markets in the hands of the consumers by simply scanning a QR code with their smart phone or sending an SMS to 281 before they buy. It will no doubt better position us at SON to protect our fellow citizens and ensure that we all get value for our money,” he said.
He averred that the task to sanitize the nation’s industries and markets is more urgent in line with the provisions of the SON Act 2015 to facilitate trade and ensure that all imported and manufactured products meet the requirements of the relevant standards to promote public safety and improve the lives and security of Nigerians.
He asserted that over the years, SON has substantially reduced the importation, manufacturing and distribution of substandard products in the country through its Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) schemes respectively.
He reiterated that despite the efforts of the agency, substandard products are still being imported or manufactured and distributed in the country through the use of fake SON stickers on non-certified products, amongst others.
He also explained that to curb the menace, SON introduced the Product Authentication Mark (PAM) to facilitate the verification of the source and quality of products in the Nigerian market.
He said that PAM is a digital technology to complement SON’s Conformity Assessment Programs (SONCAP and MANCAP) in furtherance of the fight against substandard and counterfeit products in Nigeria.
According to him, the PAM scheme will place Nigeria at an advantageous position at this time in history when Africa is looking to operate a borderless trade, with the actualisation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) because PAM would go a long way to ensure that Nigeria is not a dumping ground for substandard/inferior goods.
Taking this further, the Director, Inspectorate, and Compliance Department, Pius Manji said the PAM sticker has twenty- one security features that has been used in Kenya, Egypt and Uganda for over ten years.
He said it will give the Nigerian consumers the power to fight the influx of substandard products.
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