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PORT CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL COMMENDS SONCAP 2009-09-23 |
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The Standards Organisation of Nigeria leadership has been commended for its stance on issues of substandard, faking and counterfeiting through its off-shore conformity assessment programme SONCAP by the Ports Consultative Council which described it as a necessary antidote to dumping. Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Waheed Kareem who stated this in Abuja during a recent courtesy call of Executives of the Council on the Director General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Dr. John Akanya in his office also commended SON for its efforts at trying to put Nigeria on the world map of standardization, urging it not to relent. According to him, the PCC is proud of SON’s membership stating that the Council members as operators in the Ports appreciate the enormous challenge being faced by the Organisation in trying to create order in goods importation. Alhaji Kareem said the 50years old Port Consultative Council which is being wholly funded by the Nigerian Ports Authority had helped in no small measure to bridge the communication gap amongst key operators in the Ports, stressing that it had made representations to the Federal Ministries of Transport and its Power counterpart on the issue of Port congestion. According to him the Council is re-strategizing to be more active and make greater impact in Nigerian Ports as well as within the sub-region, stating that Shipping Companies that were hitherto aloof are now coming on board. Alhaji Kareem said the Council was looking up to SON for its usual support and invited the Organisation to play a greater role in the rejuvenated Ports Consultative Council towards upgrading standards in the shipping industry in Nigeria in particular and West Africa in general. The PCC Chairman disclosed that Nigeria through him was unanimously elected Chairman of the recently inaugurated International Network of Transit, Transport and Shipping Africa (RITTA) with Headquarters in Lome, Togo. Responding, Dr. Akanya congratulated the PCC Chairman on his recent election to lead the RIITA, stating that SON has over the years enjoyed its association with the Council in proffering solutions to the multi-faceted issues in the Nigerian maritime sector. The SON helmsman posited that coordination of efforts as is being done by the Council will bring greater synergy towards achieving better results and urged the Council executives to remain steadfast as his organization will continue to support it. He disclosed that Nigeria through SON has initiated and negotiated an agreement with the Chinese Government on certification and surveillance of all export goods to Nigeria in addition to engaging the services of two additional experienced Programme Managers for the SONCAP to expand the scope and provide increased technical competence. |
