The Director General, Standards Organization of Nigeria, (SON) Mr. Osita Aboloma has hinted that very soon, Nigerian Consumers would be empowered through a product authentication scheme to determine the quality and conformance of products at the point of purchase, and that those without necessary certifications would be rejected.
According to him, “SON is ready to partner with all technical institutions especially those involved in the production of life saving equipment’ and materials at this time, so that their products will meet minimum requirements of the relevant Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) and undergo certification under the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) scheme.
SON Ogun State Office 1 Coordinator, Engr. Jerome Umoru revealed this while speaking on behalf of the Director General during the inspection of the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Ogun State’s Mechanical Hand Sanitizer, Disinfectant Booth and Mechanical Ventilator by SON Inspectors from the Ogun State Office 1, Otta.
Aboloma’s representative reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to provide unrelenting technical support to all manufacturers of essential materials and equipment, including tertiary Institutions, in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
He stated that the visit was to provide necessary support and encouragement to facilitate the conformance of the various innovations to applicable standards, given the urgent need for the containment of the Covid-19 pandemic with home-grown innovations and inventions.
Aboloma disclosed that, “Upon certification, we will from time to time visit the Institutional innovators in order to monitor and ensure that they continually conform to the requirements of the applicable Standards. Should there be any case of non-conformance; the products would be put on hold till corrective actions are taken, while the MANCAP certificates may be suspended or withdrawn”.
He commended the Rector and his team, for the efforts on the Mechanical Hand Sanitizer, Disinfectant Booth and the Mechanical Ventilator produced by the Institution which according to him will be subjected to the MANCAP procedure towards the necessary certifications.
The Rector, Architect Olusegun O. Aluko commended the SON for its efforts in providing nationwide technical support for manufacturers and institutions with focus on home grown solutions in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.
Architect Aluko called for greater support from the Federal Government and the organized private sector for mass production of the home grown innovations and solutions to reduce the Nation’s dependency on imported products, pressure on hard earned foreign exchange and promote relatively cheaper local alternatives.
The Rector said, the visit by the SON team was a great encouragement to the Institution’s management in its efforts to support the Federal Government in containing the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
He expressed the Institution’s preparedness to subject its various innovations to SON scrutiny with a view to getting them all certified under the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) for Made In Nigeria products.
According to him, the innovations by the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, other tertiary institutions and local manufacturers are coming at the right time as the world is facing a pandemic with attendant need for ventilators, sanitizers and disinfectant booths among other essential materials.
“The local manufacture of these products and materials if well supported would be more accessible and cheaper compared to imported ones which are scarce, costly and would take longer to deliver”, he said.
