WorldStage Newsonline– The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on Wednesday presented Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) certificates to 19 19 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Minna, Niger State and promised to employ market surveillance, compliance monitoring and factory inspection to rid Nigerian markets of substandard products.
Dr Ifeanyi Okeke, the Director General, SON said during the presentation that, “The volume of substandard products that find their way into the country and even those that are produced locally will be constantly monitored by way of market surveillance, compliance monitoring and factory inspection with the view of sanitising the importers and manufacturers of substandard products.
“I wish to use this medium to encourage every patriotic Nigerian to patronise only SON certified made in Nigeria products with MANCAP logos.
“Doing this will guarantee your satisfaction and in the long run will ensure the sustainability and growth of the Nigerian economy,” said the director general.
”I am appealing to all stakeholders to willingly partner with SON for technical assistance where necessary and to help rid Nigeria of substandard products.”
Okeke stressed that compliance action would be stepped up to ensure that the use of Nigerian Mark of Quality (NMQ) logo was compulsory and complied with for every product.
He explained that the mandatory product certification scheme was established to ensure that locally manufactured products provide the required degree of satisfaction to consumers through compliance with government policies on standardisation and conformity assessment.
Accordding to him, SON has also been awarding the MANCAP certificates to products that have successfully met the requirements as stipulated in the Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS).
“When we award the MANCAP certificate to a company, we are attesting that such company’s brand or brands conform with the standards and have undergone intensive conformity assessment.”
Hajiya Hauwa Yusuf, the SON state Coordinator, said that the 19 companies were issued the MANCAP certificates for 24 products.
Yusuf said that following the issuance of the certificates, SON would undertake periodic factory inspections, sampling and laboratory testing to ensure that the companies products would continue to meet the requirements of the relevant standards that earned them the certification.
She said that the certified products are to be revalidated every three years.
The state coordinator lamented that the country’s markets are still flooded with unsatisfied, unregistered and substandard products.
She warned that the organisation would continue to tackle unscrupulous business owners till they desist from their unwholesome practices.
Also, Mr Bello Noma, Niger Coordinator, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, said that the MANCAP certificate was one of the criteria for companies to win consumers confidence locally and also export their products abroad.
Noma urged producers and processors of farm products to work toward standard in order to export their products abroad.
Alhaji Hamza Bello, the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, assured SON that the ministry would continue to partner with it in order to industrialise the state.
Responding on behalf of the awardees, Hajiya Amina Junaid, the Managing Director, Minajunaid Integrated Services, assured SON that the recognition would spur them to always produce standard products.
Some of the certified products include fertilisers, fortified sweet potato flour, white bread, kulikuli, sleeping pillow, foam, rice, ginger powder, shea butter and coconut flakes.
