Influx of substandard goods, local distribution worrisome – Minister

Dr Samuel Ortom, the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, said on Friday that the influx of substandard goods into the country was worrisome. Ortommade the statement at a sensitisation programme on the Review of Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programmes (SONCAP) with the theme: “Towards Accelerated Clearance of Goods”.
Represented by Mr Paul Angya, the Director of Human Resources and Capital Development in the ministry, the minister said that government was also concerned about the manufacturing and distribution of such products locally. “It is for this reason that approval was given to SON to introduce the twin SONCAP for imported products and the MANCAP for locally manufactured goods. I must say here that the government is still very concerned that the objectives for which the SONCAP was introduced have yet to be fully achieved,” he said.
According to him, there are instances where stakeholders are looking for loopholes through application for exemptions as well as cases of forgery of the SONCAP certificates to circumvent the programme. Ortomsaid that the ministry attached importance to ensuring that SONCAP achieved its objectives, adding that it would support SON to ensure it delivered on its mandate to Nigerians. Mr Joseph Odumodu, the Director-General of SON, said that from the organisation’s stocktaking and analysis, SONCAP had not achieved all its prospects.