The Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Osita Aboloma, has announced a note of warning to importers using SON logo on their goods in order to deceive consumers.
Aboloma who was represented by the Director in-charge of SON in Lagos, Kabir Mohammed, at the sensitisation workshop for electronic dealers in Alaba, Lagos, termed the act as unacceptable and fraudulent.
He said any defaulting importer found engaging in this practice would be prosecuted accordingly.
Aboloma reemphasised that the organisation is working hard to ensure that the level of substandard goods being imported or produced in the country was brought down to the barest minimum.
He urged the electronic dealers to abide by the guidelines of bringing in goods as either completely knocked down and semi-knocked down for assembling and branding.
He said, “You are belabouring yourselves for promoting and selling another man’s products for over four decades.
“It is about time you owned your brand and we have the standard to support you. Again, it is wrong to put our logo on imported products without our authorisation. It is fraudulent and any importer caught in the illegal act will be prosecuted. ”
The SON boss appealed to the association to engage in self-regulation to check the influx of substandard goods into the country.
Also speaking at the event, the Director, Inspectorate, Compliance and Directorate, SON, Obiora Manafa, said the sensitisation workshop themed, ‘Promoting Self-Regulation to eradicate substandard electronics from Nigerian markets’, was to encourage electronic dealers by stimulating local production against importing.
“One strategy we are applying today is to promote self-regulation and a Joint task force has been formed to fight the influx of substandard products into the country.
“We are also telling them that it is good for them to create their own brands instead of faking successful brands,” he said.
The Executive Chairman, Alaba Electronics, Mr Paulinus Ugochukwu, commended SON for the sensitisation workshop and disclosed that his members had all started selling their own brands of electronics.
He, however, called on the Federal Government to provide the basic infrastructural facilities to help drive the manufacturing sector of the economy.
