NO MORE WAIVERS ON SONCAP – Humphrey Abah 2009-11-24

The Federal Government has once again reiterated its concern on the scourge of sub-standard goods importation into the country and thus cancelled issuance of waivers to Importers under the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP).

This concern was expressed recently in Lagos by the Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Mr. Humphrey Abah at a one-day stakeholders’ interactive forum organized by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria on the SONCAP.

Mr. Abah stressed that this concern underscored the approval by the Government of the SONCAP when presented by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria to ensure that goods are not allowed to leave their countries of origin to Nigeria without under-going Assessment to confirm their conformity to acceptable Standards in Nigeria.

According to him, the Government envisaged that the implementation of the programme will substantially reduce the incidences of dumping of substandard goods in Nigeria and help conserve our foreign exchange earnings spent in the importation of substandard and many times life-endangering products into our Nation.

The Minister of State stated that various steps have been taking to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the program in order to continually achieve its set objectives through constant review of its implementation in line with observed areas requiring improvement.

Part of these he said was the recent engagement of 2 additional, experienced Programme Management Companies (TUV Rheiland Group and SGS Societe Generale de Surveillance) to complement the efforts of Intertek International Services, the pioneer Programme Management Company.

Mr. Abah stated further that some of the observed areas of serious challenge to the implementation of the programme have been in Stakeholders asking for exceptions in various forms and the attempts by some Importers to fake the Product and SONCAP Certificates.

According to him, while efforts have been made and are still on-going to arrest the issue of faking of certificates, Government has directed SON not to grant exceptions or waivers to Importers on the scheme except in specific cases as has been outlined in the Central Bank of Nigeria recent circular on the SONCAP Scheme.

The Minister stated that Government in furtherance of its commitment to eradicating the scourge of substandard goods importation has initiated an agreement on the assurance of the quality of imports from China as one of the largest trading partners of Nigeria which will soon be signed and put into effect.

He therefore called on all Stakeholders in the business of importation, manufacture, assemblage and marketing of goods within the Nigerian Nation to support the Government in its efforts to drastically reduce the incidence of substandard goods importation and distribution and help promote industrialization and the growth of the Nation’s economy.

Answering Newsmen’s questions at the programme, the Mr. Humphrey Abah advocated a minimum of 5years as jail term for all convicted Importers, Manufacturers and distributors of substandard products and their collaborators, stressing that SON had been directed to apply the full weight of the law as provided under its enabling act.