We shutdown 15 companies, certified 100 others last year — SON Coordinator
By Barth Ndubuwah, Port Harcourt
No fewer than 15 water producing Companies were shutdown in Rivers State, while over 100 products of manufacturing companies in the State were also certified within the period under review, the Standards Organization said.
The Rivers State Coordinator of Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Engr. Samuel Ayuba on Monday made this known in an exclusive interview with Nigerian NewsDirect in Port Harcourt.
According to him, the companies were basically shutdown because of the unhygienic environment in which they carry out their work, coupled with the standards of their materials.
The Coordinator warned that SON will not spare any company or individual that throws caution to the winds by lowering standards in the course of production.
Engr. Ayuba urged the public to always report to SON anybody or company involved in such illicit business through text messages, calls or report directly to the Agency, assuring that prompt attention will be given to such information.
He further advised people to visit the SON’s website where toll free lines are provided to make their complaints.
“SON as a Federal Governnment Agency, charged with the responsibility of enforcing standards is poised to discharging its statutory responsibility. Just give us the information and watch what we are going to do with it.
“I assure you that the SON, Rivers State Branch is a force to reckon with and will at all times ensure that only products of high quality are supplied to the markets, warehouses and shops in Rivers State.
“The idea is to ensure that people have value for their money,” the Coordinator said.
He added that the Rivers State branch of SON, under his watch, has certified about 100 companies that satisfied the requirements for standards in their production for such operations.
He acknowledged that COVID-19 affected activities in all spheres of the economy nationally and even globally, but his branch successfully discharged its duties appropriately.
Engr. Ayuba said they also conducted market surveillance to ascertain the quality of products that are sold to the public.
In addition, the Coordinator said they addressed a lot of consumer complaints within the period under review and the products were in most cases replaced to satisfaction of the customers and sellers.
Asked whether there had been any case of manufacturers forging the approval certificates of SON in the State, Engr. Ayuba said they have not recorded such case.
He, however, urged consumers not to hesitate in reporting to SON any case of either forging their products or his Agency’s approvals.
On prosecution of offenders, the State Coordinator said the Director General (DG) of SON, Mallam Salim Farouk is passionate about prosecuting offenders of substandard products, noting that some have been remanded in prisons across the country.
He identified limited resources and attitude of the people in cooperating with the SON towards maintaining standards in the country as major challenges confronting his Agency.
Commenting on the level of sensitisation of the people on the functions of SON, the Coordinator said the Organisation runs a regular sensitisation programme on television, print and even public enlightenment campaigns, stressing that SON is a housewhole name in standards enforcement in Nigeria.
He called on Nigerians to partner with the Agency by reporting or complaining to SON where things are going wrong around them.
