By Abba-Eku Onyeka Abuja
The Director General (DG), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Farouk A. Salim has spoken at length on the importance of journalism in every society, and called for its encouragement, as well as collaboration with the Agency under his watch.
The Agency has been organising capacity workshops for Journalists across some states of the country. Recently, the Agency organised one in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in its office, titled: SON CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP FOR JOURNALISTS, themed: Improved Synergy to Promote Standardization.
Speaking in details at the workshop on the importance of Journalists in the society, the need to encourage them, the essence for them to go about their duties in total adherence to their ethical standards and also beckoning them for collaboration with SON, toward ending circulation of substandard products in Nigeria, the DG said;“Generally from culture or convention, journalists are taken at very high level. But lately, we seem to wage a big fight and war against them; not in Nigeria, but around the world. In Nigeria, believe it or not, we still have one of the free press, not only in Africa, but around the world. But Journalists around the world are targeted everyday, in Europe, rest of Africa and the Middle East, where people loose their lives for saying the truth.
“So in your situation, you have so much freedom, that we are in danger. Due to the importance of journalism to a society like ours, apart from the Military, the Police Force, may be the DSS, the force is number one and the journalist number two. The only reason why the force is number one because they are the first point of defence as a country for us, having pledged their lives to defend the country, when they joined the Military, the Police or the DSS.
“If anybody attacks Nigeria today, the first people to defend the country are the Soldiers, the Police and the Secret Service. The next point is the Journalist. They are the ones to look at the situation, analyse, report and diseminate it. Even if the president is speaking, he speaks in the media, where his speech is disseminated. Without the media, nobody will hear anything.
“So the importance of journalism can’t be overemphasized. So it is always very important for you to remember the magnitude of what you do. As a professional and an individual, when you write something, you need to know that millions will see, view and listen to it. So if you are nether sure of what you are writing nor if it is true, don’t write it. Just write nothing, but the truth.” He added that it is the duty of the Journalist to report both good and bad things, wars and peace inclusive.
Reiterating the importance of Journalists in the society, especially this time around, Farouk A. Salim says as an Agency, SON associates and collaborates with the media, adding that they publicise the Agency and the Agency in turn gives them business. He however said that they welcome the media in their mist all the time, adding that whatever they get, they share with them, just as he enjoined them to be amplifying the good things from the Agency.
“We are very excited and continue to collaborate with Journalists. As a symbiotic collaborators, what affects Journalists, affects us. We have been doing our best to help when help is asked from us and we have been doing that and we need such cooperation from you,” he requested.
He went further to inform that in order to deliver effectively, within his short stay in office, they had provided enable working environment for SON employees. He added that they had visited some governors, who were happy to welcome them and among others gave them lands to develop, so as to bring the Agency’s services close to their people.
The governors who among others, gave them land were that of Kano, Jigawa and Cross Rivers, who gave them a whole hectare of land, in order to industrialise the state. Disclosing that they signed MoU with Katsina and four other states in the area of among others, to assist entrepreneurs, the DG informed that SON has opened African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in order to freely import and export into and outside Nigeria standard products within the continent.
Informing that they are doing everything possible to ensure Standardization of products, saying that most countries use Standardization as a trade barrier to other countries, he then disclosed that the MoU SON signed with some of the states, was to ensure that the country’s local manufacturers come up with standard products, know how to package and market them.
Unveiling some of their resent achievements, while fielding questions, the DG informed that they gathered steel industries and advised them to form union, in order to come up with standard products, so as to curtail the building collapses in the country. Farouk A. Salim boasted that Nigerian cements were okay and has gone international, just as he hailed Nigerian cables for quality.
He also informed that they have confiscated, destroyed substandard products across the states and have prosecuted those behind their productions and have also been looking for others who are at large. He decried the importation of substandard and used tyres into the country, saying that they have confiscated a number of them, worth million of Naira, in order to minimise accident in the country.
In his remark, the chairman of the FCT chapter of Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CICAN) Fred Idehai hailed the DG and the management for giant strides so far. The chairman therefore assured him that they would give him all the services needed in line with the ethics of the profession. Idehai said that they would deliver approximately, if they are carried along.
Among the management team who have been making it happen in the Agency and explained in detailed, the roles they have been playing to ensure that SON delivers its mandate, were Director Legal Services, Umaru Kawu; the Ag Director, Operation, Dauda Yakubu; Director, Procurement, Shehu Abubakar and; Director, Corporate Affairs and SON Consult, Dr Justine B. Nickaf. Others were Nuhu Fani, Plan, Research and Statistics and;Tam – George Aaron Ngo, Finance and Account.