The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, says some importers are dubiously using import permits for raw materials to bring in finished goods.
He said they were also trans-loading the Standard Organisation of Nigeria’s certified products and replacing them with substandard products before those products arrive in Nigeria.
He spoke in Abuja on Monday at an investigative hearing by the ad-hoc committee of the House of Representatives probing importation and circulation of fake and substandard products.
The minister also accused importers of false declaration and forging of documents of the SON.
“All of the above necessitate the need for quality verification of SON regulated products on arrival in Nigeria,” he said.
The minister called for more stringent verification on all imported goods at the various ports and other points of entry to address the situation.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, represented by House Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu, said importation of fake, substandard and counterfeit products was wrecking havoc on Nigeria’s economy.
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