The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has developed a product authentication mark to check the influx of substandard manufactured and imported products in the Nigerian market.
SON director-general, Farouk Salim, disclosed this yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, while speaking at a stakeholders forum on product authentication mark (PAM).
Salim, who described PAM as one of the organization’s initiatives to allow consumers to verify the authenticity of all SON regulated products in the market, expressed the hope that the mark will help to address challenge of the presence of substandard products in the country.
He said: “This is one of the initiatives of the organization to enable consumers to verify the authenticity of all SON regulated products in the market. It will also address the challenges of the presence of substandard products in Nigeria.
“The organization is empowered by the provisions of the SON Act 2015, to amongst other things, facilitate trade and to ensure that all imported and manufactured products meet the requirements of the relevant standards thereby promoting public safety, improve the lives and security of citizens and also, to protect our industries.
“In line with this mandate, the organization, over the years, has substantially reduced the importation, manufacturing and distribution of substandard products in the country through its mandatory conformity assessment and the Standards Organization of Nigeria conformity assessment.
“Despite the efforts of the organization, substandard products are still imported and distributed in the country through smuggling and the use of SON stickers in non-certified products illegally, among others.
“To cut this disturbing occurrence I the country, the organization has developed a product authentication mark to facilitate the verification of the authenticity of the products in the Nigerian market.”
