‘ Substandard goods importers using proceeds to finance insecurity’

THE Standards Organisation of Nigeria ( SON) has stated that greedy importers are responsible for the preponderance of substandard goods in the country.

The Director- General, SON, Farouk Salim, explained that unscrupulous importers are in the business of importing fake products to maximise profit not taking into cognisance the negative effects their actions have on the Nigerian populace.

He stated this at the destruction exercise of some substandard goods it intercepted in various markets across the country.

In his words: "It is all about profit. These unscrupulous dealers want to double their profits. These people are carrying out these nefarious activities in order to make more money. They could make money by importing standard goods, but they make more money importing substandard goods.

"Some of them do not understand the consequences of what they are doing, but some of them already know from the onset and go ahead because they want to make money. We have secret information that some of these activities are financing a lot of insecurity in Nigeria,” he added.

He, however, re- emphasised the need for SON to be at the nation's port of entry, saying that the fight against substandard goods is best fought at the ports.

"We have been arguing for a long time and all these products you are seeing are products that are imported into Nigeria. They come through the ports and they are smuggled through the ports. If we are in the ports, definitely, we will minimise the amount of damage done to this country. But most of these products were in the market already waiting to be sold to the customers. It will be much easier for our employees if we are able to be at the source of the import of these substandard products.

"These products could have been manufactured genuinely in Nigeria where thousands of Nigerians would have been employed, taxes would have been collected, communities would have been stable if these products were genuinely produced locally. We have the ability to produce these goods locally because we have genuine manufacturers," he stressed.

According to him, manufacturers are being affected by this unwholesome act and the act has reduced their ability to produce more goods.