Customs Brokers Commend SON on War against Substandard Products
Freight forwarders weekend said the measures adopted by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) have impacted heavily on improving the standard and quality of some goods being imported into the country.
However, the customs brokers said this has brought hard times to both importers and freight forwarders who have been struggling to meet the required standard by SON.
Chairman of the Registered Freight Forwarders Forum, Chief Festus Ukwu said in Lagos that the measures introduced by the management of SON to check importation of substandard goods into the country have been a pain on the necks of importers and indeed their customs brokers.
Ukwu explained that what this means is that many importers in the effort to meet required standard and quality have had to slow down in the turnaround time of importation, a development he said has also affected their customs brokers.
He disclosed that importers who used to bring in goods into the country regularly have slowed down because they want to ensure that the products they import meet all the standard and quality needed by SON officials at the ports.
Ukwu whose Forum has been one of the critics of SON admitted that the idea of insisting that imported goods must meet certain standard and quality was good as it will reduce the nightmare Nigerians suffer over inferior goods.
He said many Chinese manufacturers have become aware that the policies in Nigeria cannot accommodate inferior products and have been the ones adjusting to meet the required quality and standard for Nigerian importers.
He commended the Director General of SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu and his management team for raising the standard and quality of products imported into the country.
Ukwu said: “The yardstick with which we used to measure the barometer of the reduction and level of performance of substandard products and the DG’s performance respectively was determined by the drastic reduction in patronage by known and established importers of such products.”