Guardian

THE Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has called for more legislative backing for its activities to enable it win the battle against adulterated products.

The regulatory body said it would not back down on its zero tolerance for substandard products, which aims at reducing the volume of adulterated products in the market by, at least, 80 per cent.

Director General of SON, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, while hosting the House of Representatives Committee on Commerce and Industry led by Mohammed Ogoshi in Abuja, noted that SON would improve Nigeria’s image, which has been tainted as a result of counterfeiting.

According to him, the organisation is seeking a review of the act setting up the SON as well as speedy dispensation of justice as regards those who contravene products standardisation laws. He added that the organisation is asking for more funding to boost its capacity.

He noted that the agency is prepared to prosecute manufacturers/importers and distributors of substandard products in the law courts and the court of public opinion, appealing with the House to play their part, if this feat would be achieved.

In his reaction, the committee, through its chairman, Ogoshi promised to assist SON in curbing effects of counterfeit and low-quality goods in the country and urged the organisation to embark on awareness campaigns to educate the populace on the implications of purchasing substandard products.

Meanwhile, Lubricant Producers Association of Nigeria (LUPAN) urged the Federal Government to urgently take steps to protect Nigeria’ s lubricant manufacturing industry and safeguard millions of jobs across the country.

This call was informed by what the association described as indiscriminate importation of oil lubricants resulting in cheap, poor quality and substandard products, as well as the unwholesome activities of producers of fake and adulterated lubricants in Nigerian market.

Moreover, in a communiqué signed by LUPAN’s executive secretary, Emeka Obidike, the association is appealing to the Federal Government review downwards to five per cent the import duty tariff on Base Oil, which is the chief raw material that is used in producing their lubricants.

The communiqué also demands a higher tariff regime for imported lubricants in order to protect local producers as well as remain competitive in the market, charging the regulatory bodies, SON and DPR to be firm in ensuring compliance to standards by the imported lubricants to avoid influx of poor quality and substandard lubricants.

A stakeholder in the industry and Lube Operations Manager, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, Ayobami Odetola, revealed that Nigeria was losing N200 billion annually to sales and circulation of adulterated lubricants.

He said this while briefing newsmen on the stakeholders’ initiative in the downstream sector to begin a nationwide public enlightenment campaign on lubricants market sanitisation, saying that the economy has also recorded a huge cost of over $250 million as outflow, which is not necessary to import base oil yearly.

Nigeria, he noted, is the largest importer of used cars and about N100 billion is incurred as unnecessary spending on adulterated lubricants, while over N30 billion goes into treatment of respiratory infections caused by environmental hazards of fake engine oil across the country.

Speaking at the same event, the Gas Manager, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Mr. Olasupo Agbaje, explained that the campaign became necessary following a ministerial directive to the agency by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, to coordinate the regulation of base oil and sale of lubricants in the country.