“We Will Continue To Arrest Non-Compliant Containers” – SON

As part of its effort to discourage importation of substandard products, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has vowed that it will continue to arrest containers on the highway, if they fail to comply with Standards Organisation of Nigeria's Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) rules.
Director General of SON, Dr. Joseph Odumodu said this yesterday at a press conference in Lagos.
The SON’s director general affirmed that the organisation won’t will continue to impound containers from importers except they abide and conform to SONCAP guidelines.
According to him, the federal government is working on a platform whereby goods coming into Nigeria must be in tandem with the standards in Nigeria from countries of origin of the products, saying that strategies are ongoing to put the measure in place by next year.
Odumodu noted that once a container fails to provide the right document, the agency will continue to seize such consignments, adding that it is an executive action on the part of the agency and the federal government.
"My message to them is that they should do the right thing because it is not about noise making or petitions but it’s about doing the right thing"
"I have never seen any place where people will subvert the laws and will be bold to make noise about it, it happens only in Nigeria and it will not work under by leadership".
Odumodu urged importers not to breach the laws relating to standardization of products, stressing that whenever importers involve themselves in importation of illicit and sub standard product, the agency will not take it light with them.
Every shipper that brings in sub standard products into the country will be penalised, noting that such actions will be taken from the highest level of government.
Speaking further the SON 's boss reiterated that, " I have a job to do and my job is to ensure that Nigerians are protected from the ill-effect of sub standard products and anywhere they come from, such a person will not be my friend and anybody who brings in such product is actually looking for my trouble” .
He added that SONCAP certificate is mandatory in customs clearance document in Nigeria and regulated products arriving at the country without the document will be subjected to delays and possibly denial of entry.