As part of efforts to sanitise the markets and rid the nation of substandard products, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria has unfolded plans to begin the electronic registration of all products and services in the country by February this year.
After three months of the registration process, a nationwide enforcement scheme that will witness the arrest and confiscation of non-compliant products will begin in May.
Speaking at the formal presentation of the agency’s agenda for the year 2013 in Lagos on Wednesday, the Director-General, SON, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, said the essence of the electronic registration exercise was to build a database containing details of products for easy traceability as well as have a link with all the products in the country.
Odumodu also warned that any product that failed to comply with the e-registration policy would be removed from the market, irrespective of its status or whether it had SON Conformity Assessment Programme certification or not.
The DG also said because of the issues encountered by the agency, the SONCAP certification would, henceforth, be issued in the country and that the organisation would no longer accept any product that had no liability.
Odumodu also said in order to reduce the level of substandard products in the country, make a positive impact on the economy as well as encourage local industries to grow, SON was banking on a six-point agenda focusing on consumer engagement and education, global relevance, capacity building, improvement of the competitiveness of local products, aggressive conformity assessment programme and media engagement.
He said, “We are setting up an electronic security system with electronic registration in connection with other agencies to alert us when products arrive. At present, we have improved collaborations with relevant authorities in order to achieve this objective.
“By May, any product in the market without electronic registration will be removed. The essence of this is to build a database on details on all the products in the market. We need to have a link with the products by having all the details.
“We will not accept any product that has no product liability. From this year, once offenders are caught, we will make them face the camera and make them apologise to Nigerians. This exercise is to ensure product traceability and achieve standards, which will enhance productivity.”
The SON DG highlighted the agency’s 2013 agenda of focusing on core areas of importance in the area of promoting certified made-in-Nigeria products through every available means; creating greater awareness for Nigeria mark of quality; reduction and control of substandard products in circulation to less than 30 per cent; and completion of 40 laboratories of different categories, among others.