Mr Dauda Yakubu is the Director Operations of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON). In this interview with ADEOLA TUKURU, he gives reasons the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) should be allowed to operate in the country’s ports, among other issues.
Director General Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Mr Osita Anthony Aboloma has been making case for the return of SON to the seaports. What is your take on this?
SON was established by an act of the parliament to oversee the quality of goods imported and manufactured in the country. And in doing so, there are two policies that guarantee that like the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) for local manufacture of goods and SON Conformity Assessment Program (SONCAP) which is on offshore activities, for imported goods. These programs are aimed at ensuring that goods produced or imported into the country meet the minimum requirement of standards.
Now based on your question, the importation of sugar is considered contraband but it has flooded the market. I want us to know that SON’s mandate is on quality. We ensure the quality of goods coming into the country meets the minimum requirements of the standards. And the minimum requirement of the standards vice versa, apart from the physic-chemical properties of the sugar, the sugar meant for sale in Nigeria especially for consumers that will be sold in the market must be fortified with Vitamin A.
In addition to Vitamin A, it must also have what is called the purity level which is allowed for it to be consumed. So, based on those parameters, most of those products that are coming, once they are not fortified, they have not met the requirement of the standards and won’t be allowed in the markets. On the issue of contraband of goods, it falls under the mandate of the Nigeria Custom Service. Presently, we are not operating in the ports.
Since SON doesn’t operate at the ports how do your curb importation, influx of substandard products?
Actually, we need to be in the ports because there are some goods that need physical examination so as to check issues of sharp practices, most especially products that cannot be scanned easily by machines. You see the nature, the true picture of it through our scan. That’s one.
Two, there are also products that fall under our regulatory requirements especially electric cables. You talk also of LPG gas cylinders. So these products apart from having the papers, physical examinations are required for you to test the quality. So you find out that at the end of the day, the Nigerian Custom only calls us at their will. This is different from the documentation we have added.
On the issue of power level, we don’t have problem but the documentation, yes, if we are able to see what is required for us to add to, we can add. But when it comes to products that needs physical presence of SON for joint examination, we are at the mercy of Custom and it will not be good for the country because it will not augur well for us that such goods are allowed in and we are chasing it in the market where the main culprits that bring it, instead of nipping it in the bud, is allowed.
That is the actual case the DG is making that all these regulatory products, when we are in the Ports, it is easier to control than when it is allowed inside. When it is already in, if you are lucky, you only get one or two. So, we want proactive action to be taken. By allowing us into the ports, we will be able to prevent such things happening.
That’s why we are looking at, at least, if the government review our policies, just like in other countries. If you look at even Kenya, in Kenya, Customs cannot even place anything for examination without clearance from their Standards body. Their standards body has access to any import coming in. They okay it quality-wise before Customs go in. But that is not the case here.
Is that you don’t have understanding with Customs, what is really the challenge?
Actually, there is understanding between SON and Customs, but we are now saying that most of the understanding is based on the triporter. We have access to that triporter just like any other agencies. Whatever others can see, we can see. Things that are of interest to us, we can show interest, but we are now also saying, there are some products that require physical examination on site, which we need to be there.
A clear example is regulatory products like cables. There may be wrong declaration of cables. Or even tyres. Like the ones we confiscated last year. It was coded. They do post-coding of those tyres. So our officers were vigilant and they were able to intervene. So there are instances we need to be there.
Talking of cables, there has been talk about the low quality of Sunrise cables and it was to be mopped up from the market. How far have you gone with it?
Actually, what operations department does is to coordinate the activities of the other departments, most especially, activities of imports through the Ports and borders. So anytime, within the limited resources, they act at the Port. You know, no matter what we do, we are not in the ports as I had said earlier; most of these things are smuggled in. Some are also smuggled through the land borders, some through sea.
And you know, since we are not in the Port, as I have earlier said, we may not be everywhere to cover everything. So those ones that come in, we test. Those we are able to see, we sample at the Port, and we test. Those that have SONCAP, we are aware that they exist, then the ones that maybe escaped us, through our market surveillance, in all the state offices, we detect them.
Once we suspect them, we purchase and send to our Labs. Once it is tested and it fails, we raise an alarm, saying, this product is not safe for use. So, the case of Sunrise cables is like that. They are products that came into the country, they’re imported from China, the samples were taken and they were tested, they failed.
So, we want to alert Nigerians that we have picked these samples, we have tested and they have not met the quality of the Standards so Nigeria should be aware. It is ongoing, we call it Red Alert. That is what I always do. I collaborate with the laboratory always.
I requested from them, that all the cables that came into the country, that have been tested; we want to see the performance of all of them. More than 200, or 300 different containers and sizes and brands, we look at it and then we are able to extract those that failed. From there, they will send it to me and I will compile it and look at the sizes, the brand names, then the sizes which we call the conductor diameter and the fail parameters. With that, I will now alert all the state offices seeing that I oversee the affairs of activities at the states that regional offices.
Presently, there are ongoing raids nationwide on electrical cables, not only Sunrise. The list I have here, there are about 34 different brands and sizes of cables that are being moped up now. There are some that are unbranded; there are some that are called Carmel, Naco, Oconite, Libra, Nikon, Ugochris, various brands of cables.
Those that we have not seen them, they have not been registered with us, we don’t have any documentation on them on our registration, we are asking them to quarantine, take the inventory, and take sample for lab tests. All we are doing is to ensure the safety of Nigerians.
What is the sanction for offenders?
For offenders, definitely, our decree is clear. Before I now talk of the punishment for offenders, the offences vary. Because even if you look at these cables, we have those that failed performance requirements, there are those that fail also, safety. There are some that fail marking. So their penalty is not the same. For those that fail marking requirements and assuming they pass performance and safety, we now rectify those products.
As a consumer, you have the right to information so that you can know how best you can use it. In that case, we will now put that product on hold, ensure rectification is carried out before it is allowed outside. But when it fails performance safety, definitely there is no issue of rectification. It is for destruction. In that case, we are not only going to destroy it, following due process. We will also prosecute offenders based on our laws. So definitely those we mop up and we found out that they import substandard cables, they will be prosecuted accordingly.
So, how can a consumer get indemnity due to loss accruing from the use substandard products?
It is expected that as a consumer, when you buy any product, you are supposed to have a receipt. During the course of service, if there is failure, you can tender that receipt. We will now come as experts, look at it with what remain there, because in electrical cables, example, the marking is very important.
If you pick an average cable that meets our minimum requirements like any Nigerian cable on it, you will see embossment of the Nigerian cable whether it is Nocaco, you will see it embossed. After it you will see the sizes. You may see 2 x 1.5mm, or 1.5mm. It’s just telling you that this cable you are buying, this is the size and it is good to be used for this purpose.
For lightening, you use 1 mm and 1.5. But for sockets, you cannot use it. You have to use minimum, 2.5 mm. That is the essence of that marking. That is for traceability, the embossment of that company tells you that this is the company that produced that. So, that in case there are problems, we will not say where is this is coming up. You know where you are going. The same applies to all life endangering products such as the steel bars, called iron rods. Whenever there is building collapse, we go there. We assess how it failed and take samples of the concrete and the steel bars and send to our Labs for testing. From there we know the quality of the mixing, whether they followed the mixing ratio of sand and cement and gravel.
We also look at the steel bar used. Does it meet our minimum requirement of the standards? So, there will be preliminary examination which we have a template which we assessed on that, then we take the sample to our Labs and analyze and bring it back.
Presently, I have two cases which I am handling on a collapse building site where we had to get some of those iron rods. We looked at them, critically assessed them. By the time we assessed, we found out that one or two of the iron rods failed. And definitely we will trace it to the manufacturer. It is traceable to the manufacturer because it is a policy of the government by SON that all the iron rods are traceable to the manufacturer.
From there, we know who supplied that. That is how we now report, either to the agency of government or another regulator that needs information or even to the legal entity. We investigate and come up with our findings. We are a technical organization, we are experts so we act based on our mandate.
The Nigerian electrical cable is the best in the whole world. But we have Nigerians that do not have the interest of this country at heart, they go to China, clone those certified wires in Nigeria and also bring in substandard ones. That is actually where we are. We have to work hard, 24 hours.
I can tell you, most of the agencies of government are sensitized, they are also keying into it. Like the Nigerian Customs, even if they see cables, they don’t clear it. They alert us. We work in collaboration with them too. The collaboration may not be enough, but we collaborate with most of these agencies of government, and we are making progress. Because you just imagine, all these substandard cables brought in, you have market infernos. It is as a result of this.
The dry season is approaching where you have fire outbreaks here and there, and markets engulfed in fire. It is as a result of substandard electrical cables. This is a very serious problem which the D-G of SON and the management is not taking it’s lightly.
How can dry-season fire outbreaks be minimised?
If you stop the substandard materials going to unsuspecting customers, you have addressed almost 80 percent of the problem. Of course, we may have issues of workmanship where the wiring and other things that may not be well done. But when you look at the quality of the material and it is well done then you can be rest assured.
Just like the steel bars, definitely, the one that is unbranded; it clearly shows that it is not from Nigeria. It is smuggled. But the one that is branded, we know the company. So, it clearly shows from even our monitoring, that our certification process is effective.
How far have you gone with awareness and enlightenment?
In each of the sectors, we create awareness on the dangers of patronising substandard products. Few weeks ago, we did that of tyres for automobiles. You may see a tyre looks new, but you won’t know that it is about expiring. Most people don’t know that tyres expire. We have gone even to the dealers, traders, to tell them, look, if you are to buy tyres, look at the code. When you see four figures there, this is what it means. We decode it for you. If you see 0414, it’s telling you that the type was produced in the 4th week of 2014. If you see it labelled 27 or 3617, it’s telling you that tyre was produced in the 36th week of 2017. This we tell them so that it guides them on when the tyre will expire.
On the tyre again, it has some marking that will guide you on the pressure that you put on that tyre. Each type produced has its own rated capacity. It has its own maximum speed limit indicated there. It also has the maximum weight it can contain. If you are not taught, you will see the same tyre but it is not meant for the same purpose. For example, I will break it down and you will appreciate what is there. This cuts across vulcanizers, tyre dealers, to the man selling, to transporters, NURTW, the owners and everybody. It involves everybody that cuts across to the value chain of tyre. We held this in Kano, North/East region.
Other government agencies are interested in tyre. It’s not only SON. By law, Vehicle Inspection Service is interested in tyre. FRSC has interest in tyre. By law, the Nigeria police too. Now, we try to qualify what is product, standard, substandard product and other things.
The consumer has the right of information. The information generally on any product you pick, you need to know the brand. It must be stated. You need to get the manufacturers name and address must be indicated there.
Apart from this information, it must include the ingredients. That is why even water, we insist on the ingredients being placed on the label to show the consumer, this is what it contains. They have to also indicate the storage conditions and you look at the clear contents, how many mls it contains, they mark it also, and then batch number.
For electrical products, apart from these, it must have manual and warranty. Based on our laws, any electrical products, the minimum guarantee is six months. If you buy anything, if not for wrong application, if it gets faulty, once it is less than six months, you have to write and seek redress. And you must be attended to.
Identifying genuineness of tyres, if you pick tyre, you will see some codes such as AS or TS, or you may just see P. All those ones are telling you, this is the application. If you see P, it is Passenger or commercial car. If you see LT, it is for Light Truck. HT is mainly for SUV cars. They are for highways and rough terrain. Tokunbo tyres are substandard tyres. We don’t allow that. If you look at this, P215, this is telling you the width of that tyre on the ground. /165 tell you the height of the tyre from the ground. R15, R16 etc, is telling you rim 15 or 16 respectively.
