27th July, 2011
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on Tuesday in Nnewi, Anambra, destroyed imported fake motorcycle spare parts valued at more than N20 million.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the affected spare parts included complete oil seal, engine valves, extra rings, motorcycle chains and cables.
The Director-General of SON, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, while undertaking a sensitisation tour of traders at the Nnewi Main Market on Tuesday, said the destroyed parts were worth more than N20 million.
Odumodu said the Aug. 15, deadline for importers, manufacturers and traders to do away with fake and substandard products, full enforcement and compliance with standard regulations, would not be compromised.
He warned importers, manufacturers and traders that after the dead line, the penalty against counterfeiting would be doubled.
He pointed out that due to the many borders in the country and their porosity, the regulatory agency would continue to beam its searchlight on the markets.
According to him, this is with a view to stamping out fake and substandard products, which have destroyed the fabric of the nation’s socio-economic life.
“We will establish our offices in the country’s major markets and empower them to rid the markets of various counterfeit and substandard goods.
“This is to ensure that consumers purchase only standard products,†the director-general said.
The exercise was also extended to the Onitsha Main Market, where traders were warned about the consequences of importing and selling fake and substandard products.
“We want to stop people from premature death as fake and substandard goods have done incalculable damage to the country.
“We cannot be different from other parts of the world in the manufacture and sale of standard products,†he told the traders.
In their separate responses, the Nnewi Traders Association Chairman, Mr. Dozie Akudolu expressed appreciation to SON for the sensitisation.
He promised that the association would co-operate with the agency to rid the market of bad and substandard goods.
Akudolu, however, appealed to the management of SON to extend the deadline to evacuate counterfeit and substandard products from the market.
In his response, the Onitsha Main Market Traders Union Vice Chairman, Chief Malachy Nwabudu, also thanked the agency for the enlightenment.
He blamed the Federal Government for the porous nature of the nation’s borders, which he said, had caused the importation of fake and substandard goods into the country.