The Directorate’s activities revolved around factory inspection visits. NIS products and System Certification Schemes; Consumer Complaints and Collaboration; pre-shipment inspection/Monitoring of exports; LPG quality Monitoring and assessments; Ports, and Border operations; Product Registration; Enforcement; Collaboration with stakeholders and Group work activities.

(i) (a) Factory Inspection

The factory inspection activities of the Directorate covered routine, surveillance, certification and revalidation visits. A total of 1,219 companies scheduled to be inspected annually.

(b) NIS Product Certification Exercise/Award Ceremonies

Every Year NIS product Certification programme is being organized by the Organisation for product certification The awards grouped in four broad categories - Diamond, Gold, Silver and Bronze were presented as below:

(ii) Quality Week – Seminars and-“Walk-for-Standards”

These two (2) activities were organized for the every year to complement other regular programmes for the quality week
a. Seminars would be held in different locations in the Country on the “Benefits of Standardisation and Quality Assurance activities of SON”. They were targeted towards the grass roots and implemented with the collaboration of various Trade Groups and Associations.

b. “Walk-for-Standards”

It was organized to promoted patronage of made in Nigeria products, particularly those with NIS Marks and to promote the quality culture among the Nigerian public.

(iii) Consumer Complaints and Collaboration Unit

This unit was created to enhance the quality assurance activities
of SON and to help promote consumer sovereignty.
(iv) LPG Monitoring and Inspections Unit
This unit was created in April 1990 solely for inspection, testing and certification of LPG pressure vessels. Tests carried out by the Unit include – Pneumatically hydrostatic pressure, Ultrasonic/Radiographic examination of weld joints and steel plates and ultrasonic thickness. In 2003, five (5) LPG pressure vessels and companies were certified. Following the approval of the NIS 419 standards.

(v) Product Registration Unit

Created in November 2002, the Unit’s objectives include:
a. Establishment of reliable information on quantity, quality, source and origin of products/services manufactured in and/or imported into Nigeria. This involves all products/services available in the Nigerian economic environment;

b. Obtaining relevant information on persons and organizations responsible for producing/importing such products/services and the legal status, genuineness or otherwise of such business operations.

c. Obtaining information on the standards and or technological bases for such products/services;

d. Ensuring and/or facilitating fair-trade practices as a function of standardization;

e. Preventing dumping of substandard products/services into Nigeria, thereby facilitating consumer-protection functions; and

f. Assisting national planning/development programmes with the above instruments/means.

(viii) SYSTEM CERTIFICATION UNIT OPERATIONS IN 2003

Systems Certification is one of the conformity assessments undertaken by SON to ensure compliance of products/services in meeting customers’ needs/expectation through establishment and implementation of effective Management systems in line with relevant NIS ISO Standards. Since its implementation, the programme has achieved tremendous impact on the Nigerian Industrial and Commercial sectors. The programme covers mainly Quality Management System and EMS. Efforts are in progress to expand this programme to cover Laboratory Management system ISO 17025 and Health and safety Management systems ISO 18001.

(IX) QUALITY SYSTEMS TRAINING SERVICES

As part of the Quality activity of SON, the Training Services Unit organises special training courses on Quality Management and Environmental Management Systems for company officials in both the industrial and commercial sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Year 2008 training time table

(X). COMMUNICATION PUBLICITY & MARKETING UNIT

The main objective of the Unit is to create awareness by disseminating information on the statutory activities of SON, both internally and externally as well as Marketing SON Services. Some of the accomplishments of the unit during the year were:
- Preparations of Press releases/briefings on the activities of SON for awareness
- Use of jingles to create awareness
- Arrangements for TV commentaries/TV appearances for the DG (SON). Other activities of the organisation were also aired in different Television stations.
- Participation in Trade Fairs/Exhibitions.
- Participation in Workshops and Seminars.
- Procurement of travel documents for staff.
- Advertising SON Training programmes in the print media.
- Publishing of NIS Award Winners/Coverage of various SON activities in Print Media.

(a) MARKETING UNIT

- Creation of awareness amongst various stakeholders
- Sales of standards and NIS catalogue
- Participation in various seminars and workshops organised for stakeholders
- Presented paper on “Performance Imperative for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises” during the meeting organised by SMES on 26th November, 2003

(b) PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

The Public Relations Unit achieved the following during the year:
- A total of Ten (10) press briefings were held mainly on consumer awareness and destruction of Sub-standards products.
- On Media relations/Publicity, an average of one press release was issued every two (2) weeks on meetings with stakeholders, Technical Committee’s and policy statements by the DG (SON)

- An average of Five (5) Newspapers every week published information about SON activities.
- SON activities especially meetings with the stakeholders Technical Committees and Director General’s tours of Zones were packaged and aired as news on NTA, AIT, MBI, MITV, LTV, DBN and Channels.
- The DG (SON), also appeared live on
- One-on-One on NTA Network
- Platform on NTA Network
- MBI Guest of the week