Patrick Ekpo, Uyo
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs Amb. Nura Abba Rimi, has said that the Ministry is looking forward to seeing the Standards Organisation of Nigeria having it own products authentication mark.
Rimi stated this while fielding questions from newsmen at the Management Retreat organised by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, at the Ibom Icon Hotel, Uyo, on Wednesday with the theme “Service Optimisation, Greater Efficientiveness and Performance Enhancement for a Renewed Future”
Speaking through Mrs Anietie Umoessien, Director, Industrial Inspectorate Department of the Ministry, Rimi who noted that SON is not at the Nigerian Ports at the moment, advised that organisation should be allowed to return to Nigerian Ports to authenticate all products before they get into the markets.
She said, “We want SON to be a new SON, an e-SON, a SON that has product authentication mark. The main function of SON is standardisation of products and you see with the new Presidential initiative for the compressed Natural Gas, SON had already standardised for CNG products. So, we want to carry SON unto the next optimal level to be able to compete with other products in the world.
“We want to do one stop shop. SON should be allowed to go back to the port. SON at the moment is not at the port, so they should be able to go back to the port, so that all the products would be authenticated before they get into the market.
“You have your products authenticate it, and that is it. There will be no issue of fake iron rod, fake products, you authenticate it direct.
She also called for increased funding for the Standards Organization of Nigeria to enable it performed optimally
“Funding is one of the major challenges of SON, so we encourage the FG to give SON more funds for them to be able to carry out their assignments like the product authentication mark is a good initiative.
Also speaking with newsmen, the Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Dr Ifeanyi Okeke, noted that organisation has, in collaboration with the President initiative on CNG, developped 86 standards, which he said had already been provisionally approved by the the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.
He said that the organization had commenced collaboration with relevant bodies for the successful roll out of the presidential Initiative of Compressed Natural Gas
Okeke said “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his inaugural speech last year mentioned an alternative source of energy to substitute for petroleum products whose prices have been going up.
“He came up with the CNG and one of the promises he made to the Labour union is that he is going to roll out the CNG. When we came on board, we collaborated with the Presidential initiative on CNG and the first thing we have to do first before any roll out of CNG is to have a standard and about 86 standards have been developed and recently been approved by the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment
“We have gone beyond this point, we are also talking about the implementation. SON on its own, is collaborating with the relevant agencies, we have the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Nigeria Automotive Design and Development Council, and Presidential initiative on CNG.
“We are all collaborating together to ensure a successful roll out of the CNG projects.”
