The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has evacuated substandard locally cloned cables worth over N8 billion in two warehouses in Ajagbandi area in Lagos State as part of moves to prevent the cables from getting into the market.
Indeed, the agency said should these goods find their way into the Nigerian markets, it has the potential of starting an inferno when used, but assured that SON is on top gear to address the situation.
The Director, Inspectorate and Compliance, SON, Engr. Bede Obayi, during an enforcement exercise explained that the importer belonging to one Estobest Electrical Limited, will face the full wrath of the law for indulging in such nefarious activity.
Some of the established brands recovered from the operation include Coleman cables, Nexans, purechem and other unbranded cables. He said the enforcement exercise is in line with the federal government’s quest to protect local industries from unfair competition against the influx of substandard goods.
According to him, SON has made some enviable progress in the nation’s cable market, saying that this is the reason why these importers go abroad to clone Nigerian cables.
“All these cloned-Nigerian cable were made in China, but being packaged as made-in-Nigeria products and you know we are proud of made-in-Nigeria cables, because it is about the best cable over the world. This will not be accepted and SON will not allow it. We are going to go after the importer and also going to prosecute him according to the act of SON.
“The total value of these cables is estimated to be over N8 billion. You can imagine Nigerians losing N8 billion to this nefarious activity by these unscrupulous importers. Which company will survive when substandard products are taking over production capacities of local industries and with employment generation also being affected?
“We are already moving them out because we have to take them out of circulation, we cannot allow these cables to enter the Nigerian markets and this is why we are evacuating them from the warehouses. We want to use this medium to send a stern warning to other importers who engage in this kind of illicit trade to say that there is no room for these kinds of trade in Nigeria.”
He however advised Nigerian consumers to always ask questions before buying products, saying that the qualities of these brands are not the same with certified brands while also adding that SON is not behind these brands.