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N500million lost annually to sub-standard products – DG, SON

By on May 25, 2013
Joseph Odumodu

Joseph Odumodu

Director-General of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, has said that Nigeria loses over N500 million annually as a result of sub-standard electric bulbs imported into the country.

He made this disclosure when the Executive Director of Christabel International Company, Christabel Okoye, paid him a working visit in Abuja.
Odumodu explained that the recent research carried out by SON indicated that Nigerians spend huge amount of money in buying and replacing electric bulbs which eventually affect their health negatively.

He lamented that these bulbs contain heavy metals such as mercury which posed as risks to the users, noting that many Nigerians have lost their lives while using them.

However, the Director General of SON, vowed to rid the Nigerian markets of sub-standard products, adding that the Zero-Tolerance Campaign on Sub-Standard Products would earnestly kicked-off its fight against sub-standard products in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja from June 5.

According to him, traders of sub-standard products across the country should surrender all sub-standard products in their possession to the nearest SON office, or risk confiscation of the products and prosecution.

In his words, “We will visit all the markets. The objective is that we want to remove all sub-standard products from all the markets”.

“This campaign is actually a war against all sub-standard products. In this battle, products that are impounded will be destroyed and the sellers of the products will be arrested and prosecuted”.
“We will make the sellers of these products to come back to Nigerians and apologise to them over the evil they have done to Nigerians”.

“A lot of people are dying every day as a result of sub-standard products. Even when they don’t die, some are losing money”.

As part of the measures to check the influx of sub-standard products into the country, Odumodu further said electronic registration of products offered for sale in Nigeria has been introduced by his organisation.

“Any product that is not registered by June 30, will be removed and destroyed. Let me warn that we are backed by the law, the President is fully in support of what we are doing,” he said.

“My message to all the traders is that they must remove all the sub-standard products from their stalls and ensure that every product offered for sale to consumers is registered before June 30th, 2013”.