In a bid to enforce compliance to standards on imports, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has set up a working committee in collaboration with the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF).
This committee was set up to curb the influx of substandard products into the country, when members of NAGAFF paid a courtesy visit to the Director General of SON, Dr. Osita Aboloma yesterday.
The Acting President of NAGAFF, Chief Increase Uche made this call while giving an address during the visit.
Chief Increase had proposed the committee to enable both organizations address issues such as the blocking of DTO by SON, compromise of escort arrangement by some officers of SON, overlapping functions between SON and NAFDAC, among others.
According to the NAGAFF Acting President, the visit had been overdue as the first since Dr. Osita Aboloma took over as Director General of SON. He noted that it was pertinent to cement and build on the existing relationship between NAGAFF and SON.
Chief Increase also beckoned on the SON Director General to also pay a courtesy visit to NAGAFF headquarters in order to observe the efforts of NAGAFF in capacity building of freight forwarders and have a better rapport with stakeholders.
However, the NAGAFF Founder, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam commended the Director General’s drive to ensure compliance to standards on all imports.
Aniebonam said the committee set up would be critical to ensuring compliance to the set standards and the regulations of SON, noting that the committee should kick-off this week with the maiden task of providing a working document for the Director General.
The NAGAFF Founder also lamented that the absence of SON from the ports has made their operations more difficult.
In his response, the Director General of SON, Dr. Osita Aboloma commended NAGAFF as a very serious association and the ideal one to partner with at the ports.
“I’m impressed with the antecedent and discipline that SON has brought by collaborating with several organizations at the ports.
Dr. Osita accepted the invitation to NAGAFF headquarters and promised to visit NAGAFF soon. He said that the economic recession the nation is facing has led the Federal Government to step up its drive to prevent importation of substandard products.
However, he asked NAGAFF to remain disciplined in its activities at the ports and also continue to partner with the other stakeholders at the ports in other to make the nation’s ports a better business environment.
He noted that SON is facing an herculean task to grow the Nigeria economy without compromising on standards and asserted NAGAFF had its role to play.
“We can’t fight against substandard products without the collaboration of critical associations like NAGAFF, but remember that you’re first Nigerians before becoming freight forwarders so you should equally have the interest of the nation at heart”
“We ought to be the ‘change’ that we want to see in the larger society and we can start by doing things right. Doing the right thing isn’t rocket science, so I beg you to assist SON in its bid to curb the menace of substandard products” he added.
By Kenneth Jukpor
