The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has urged manufacturers to prioritise quality and customer-friendly products to improve their competitiveness.
The Director-General of SON, Dr Ifeanyi Okeke, made the call on Tuesday in Ilorin during the presentation of Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) certificates to two companies.
The beneficiaries were Omo’ya Concrete Electric Poles Industries Ltd. and Jofco Concrete Industries, both of which produce electric poles under the Civil Building Engineering Division.
Okeke, represented by the Kwara Coordinator of SON, Engr. Abdulrazaq Oyewopo, explained that customer-friendly products must be safe, durable and meet consumers’ needs.
“Manufacturers must ensure that products meet the required standards. Where products have issues, the government will be after you.
“Manufacturers are to key into SON’s mandate and always produce good quality products,” he said.
He said the two companies qualified for the MANCAP certificates after due diligence and independent laboratory analyses.
Okeke urged manufacturers to comply with SON’s regulations and maintain high production standards.
He expressed concern over the activities of some block manufacturers in Kwara, accusing them of failing to comply with the organisation’s requirements for construction materials.
He added that SON would continue to enforce standards and ensure manufacturers met the required specifications.
Also speaking, SON’s Chief Technical Officer, Mrs Ibukunolu Alasan, told the certificate recipients that MANCAP certification required greater commitment to improving their products.
She warned that the certificates could be withdrawn if the companies failed to maintain the required standards, stressing that quality remained central to the certification process.
A representative of Omo’ya Concrete, Mr Michael Olayiwola, commended SON for ensuring that Nigerian companies complied with quality standards.
Olayiwola assured the organisation that the company would continue to work with SON and benefit from its guidance to sustain the production of customer-friendly products.
