Standard Organisation Of Nigeria: Preventing Influx Of Unwholesome Products Through Conformity Assessment Programme (PART FOUR)

In its avowed commitment towards ensuring that only approved standards of goods and services are imported into the country, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) goes a long way through the implementation its offshore Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) to investigate, verify and certify the wholesomeness of the products before departing the port of exit to Nigeria.

In other words, SONCAP is a pre-shipment verification of conformity to Standards processes used to verify that products to be imported into Nigeria are in conformity with the applicable Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) or approved equivalents and technical regulations before shipment. Under the SONCAP regime, imports are required to undergo verification and testing at country of supply (Exporting) and a SONCAP Certificate (SC) issued demonstrating that the products meet the applicable standards and regulations or a Non-Conformity Report (NCR) where the goods do not comply.

The conformity assessment elements undertaken in SONCAP include but not limited to physical inspection prior to shipment, sampling, testing and analysis in ISO 17025 accredited laboratories, audit of product processes and systems, and documentary check of conformity with regulations and overall assessment of conformity to standards.

The overall objectives of SONCAP includes among other things, to ensure that regulated products comply with the NIS or other approved standards prior to export to Nigeria; Provide a level playing field in terms of quality for both SON regulated and locally manufactured products in order to prevent unfair competition; Prevent the dumping of substandard goods into the Nigerian market and as a result preventing economic loss to the importer and the nation at large; Impede loss of lives and property including foreign exchange, bearing in mind that the exporting country/Exporter have been paid for the goods to be shipped into Nigeria; Forestall any adverse reaction (such as environmental pollution occasioned by destruction of substandard products) by regulatory Agencies on arrival of substandard and life-threatening goods in Nigeria; Facilitate trade through fast track clearance of goods at the ports; Encourage genuine investors and investments in Nigeria; Promote made in Nigeria products and Conserve foreign exchange.

SON under the leadership of the Director General, Osita Aboloma, working in concert with the management and staff, strives relentlessly to police the country against importation of harmful products and prevent Nigeria from being used as a dumping ground for hazardous products.

Already, in its deliberate bid to enhance actualization of the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business initiative and ensure that all goods coming into Nigeria meet the stipulated minimum industrial standard of Nigeria, SON has entered into partnership with relevant stakeholders in international trade and importation of goods in the country. The partnership is targeted at enlightening stakeholders on the need to ensure that the activities of their members in the area of importation of goods into the country and clearing of goods at the ports conform to laid down rules and procedures set by the organisation.

Prominent among the stakeholders who recently cemented the existing partnership with SON were the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and members of Alaba International Market Electronic Importers. While addressing the stakeholders, the Director General, SON, Osita Aboloma, explained the operations of SONCAP, adding that SON has automated its operations to serve them better .

According to him, “Like every other automation process, we automated clearing processes to make our services readily available to the major stakeholders like ANLCA. Automation will reduce human interference, reduce rent seeking, make it easier, reduce turn around time of our services in order to serve them better because without automation the alternative is anarchy”.

Aboloma had further explained to the stakeholders that apart from SON’s automation process being flawless, it reduces the turn around time for clearing. In operation, the SONCAP automation process is in stages including product registration, pre -shipment documentation, among others. The Director General advised the stakeholders to adhere to step by step processes laid down by the organisation in goods importation and clearing .

In his words, “This is what you do first. You get our document, our certifications before you ship your goods to Nigeria. It is not a clearing document per say so when somebody deliberately misinforms you that he incurred demurrage because of SONCAP, that is deliberate misinformation because you cannot even ship your product to Nigeria without securing your product certification. It makes the process of clearing simple without compromising the quality of goods that come into the country”.

On quality of goods, especially electronic products sold in Alaba International Market Lagos, the SON Director General, said through the partnership, he has given the traders benefit of doubt to do the right thing. However, he noted that though the traders entered into partnership with SON as an association, being under association would not exempt individuals from taking responsibility for willful or deliberate attempts to reduce the quality of products that are sold to unsuspecting Nigerians .

Aboloma warned that SON would not hesitate to hold them collectively and individually liable for any infraction of conformity to Nigerian Industrial standards.

“We just raised the bar and we have informed them accordingly that it is no longer business as usual because we consider most products that are selling at Alaba market as life threatening and anything that falls short of international best practice of minimum Nigerian industrial standard, we will seriously find out”.

Following extensive implementation of SONCAP, SON has no fewer than 15 cases of defaulting importers and manufacturers of substandard products awaiting prosecution in the court.

Mr Bola Fashina, Special Assistant to SON Director-General, said some impounded substandard products could go through rectification under its supervision while only irredeemable ones were destroyed eventually. According to him, “We take the defaulters once apprehended to the court for the law to take its course; we present the facts of the case to the court and leave the rest for the judiciary to determine. We pay special attention to life endangering products such as LPG cylinders, iron rods, electrical materials such as cable wires and we have a very tedious procedure for certifying LPG cylinders to be imported into Nigeria. That procedure involves that competent officers have to go to the facility where that product is being produced from before we can approve that it can be exported into Nigeria.”

Recently, SON apprehended a syndicate of three Egyptians specialized in the importation and distribution of substandard stainless cooking wares and electric blenders in Ilorin, Kwara State from hidden warehouses in Kwara, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory. The operation followed a series of complaints received from Consumers in Ilorin, Omu Aran, Offa, Songa and other parts of Kwara State about a Saleh brand of stainless cooking utensils that discolours within one to two weeks of use.

Investigation by SON officials confirmed that the culprits had embarked on a discreet direct marketing and sales of the product by three Egyptians on behalf of Khafaga Import and Export Ltd. purportedly based in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos State. The syndicate carried out their operation from a hidden warehouse at GRA, Ilorin to all parts of Kwara State.

According to the SON Kwara State Coordinator, Mrs. Esther Okon, several complainants stated that the suspects approach them directly in markets and shops and supply the products on request through telephone calls. Mrs. Okon disclosed that quality verification carried out on the products revealed that they were imported without undergoing the SON import procedure, not registered with SON for traceability as required by law and were without country of origin.

While evacuating about 170 Cartons of the stainless cooking wares, SON officials also discovered another 30 cartons of Electric Blenders without import documents nor registration certificate for traceability which were also evacuated, she said.

***To be continued next week on another aspects of SON’s achievements