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| Director-General of SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu |
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on
Tuesday said it would soon commission 20 world-class laboratories in Lagos to
boost its operations in checking sub-standard products.
The Director-General of SON, Dr
Joseph Odumodu, made the disclosure at a one-day training programme organised
for members of the Association of Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Lagos.
Joseph Odumodu, made the disclosure at a one-day training programme organised
for members of the Association of Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Lagos.
Represented by the Director in
charge of Inspectorate and Compliance, Mr Bede Obayi, Odumodu said the training
became necessary to carry the freight forwarders along in the e-transaction
process.
charge of Inspectorate and Compliance, Mr Bede Obayi, Odumodu said the training
became necessary to carry the freight forwarders along in the e-transaction
process.
He said the laboratories and other refurbished ones would be put to use to
ensure a massive reduction in the importation and production of sub-standard
goods that were detrimental to peoples’ lives.
Odumodu said the stakeholders’ engagement was a strategy developed to engender
a quick integration of the critical stakeholders to the platform for trade
facilitation.
“This is just one of those pillars of the management of SON; stakeholder
engagement.
“There is no way we can achieve the mandate of SON if we do not carry the
critical stakeholders along in our programmes.
“That is why we have brought up this NICIN programme, which is the Nigerian
Integrated Customs Information system.
“This has now made it easy for all our operations to be electronic, especially
the maritime operations, in terms of the importation of products into Nigeria.
“So, when you want to import you don’t need to come to SON any more, you just
do that from your office by just imputing all what you want.
“In explaining these, we need to
train the partners; those who are going to carry out these actions because SON
has not changed this process, SON has only added value to the process,’’
Odumodu said.
train the partners; those who are going to carry out these actions because SON
has not changed this process, SON has only added value to the process,’’
Odumodu said.
He urged Nigerians to keep on
collaborating with SON to ensure that the right things were done at the right
time to safeguard the masses from the dangers of sub-standard products.
collaborating with SON to ensure that the right things were done at the right
time to safeguard the masses from the dangers of sub-standard products.
The President of ANLCA, Alhaji
Olayiwola Shittu, said that the training would help members of the association
to key into the e-platform easily and help them in processing of documents.
Olayiwola Shittu, said that the training would help members of the association
to key into the e-platform easily and help them in processing of documents.
Shittu said the e-platform was
the answer to ridding the system of corruption because it would phase out human
interfacing.
the answer to ridding the system of corruption because it would phase out human
interfacing.
He noted that the system would
ensure compliance in declaration in due course and do away with unnecessary
delays in processing documents.
ensure compliance in declaration in due course and do away with unnecessary
delays in processing documents.
Shittu described the freight
forwarders as mere victims of the situation where they just handled what the
importers had brought in by just taking what they have been told in trust.
forwarders as mere victims of the situation where they just handled what the
importers had brought in by just taking what they have been told in trust.
He said it was sad that a number
of importers were only concerned about their profits rather than in the
standards of goods they imported.
of importers were only concerned about their profits rather than in the
standards of goods they imported.
According to him, the new SON
processes of standardisation would check the dangers of sub-standard products
for the good of all.
processes of standardisation would check the dangers of sub-standard products
for the good of all.
Earlier, while visiting the
Headquarters of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) in Lagos, the SON
Director-General disclosed that the organisation had destroyed sub-standard
goods worth N10 billion from 2011 to date.
Headquarters of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) in Lagos, the SON
Director-General disclosed that the organisation had destroyed sub-standard
goods worth N10 billion from 2011 to date.
He said they were making efforts
to ensure a further reduction of sub-standard goods in the country.
to ensure a further reduction of sub-standard goods in the country.
Chief Boniface Aniebonam, the Founder of NAGAFF, urged freight
forwarders and clearing agents to collaborate with SON to reduce sub-standard
products.
forwarders and clearing agents to collaborate with SON to reduce sub-standard
products.
