SON Trains Personnel In Products’ Testing

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria has embarked on massive capacity building aimed at equipping its personnel with the requisite knowledge and technical know-how required for the smooth operations of the agency’s accredited laboratories across the country.

A press release on Thursday last week, by SON quoted its Director-General, Mr. Osita Aboloma, saying during the laboratory accreditation implementation course held at its training centre in Lagos that the programme would enable the existing accredited laboratories of SON to implement the most current standards released in November 2017.

He said “I will implore you all to be attentive, ensure you understand all that you are being taught and prepare to implement the standards towards maintaining our accreditation in the food and chemistry laboratories.”

He said that over 40 training sessions were held in 2017 as against three of such programmes offered in 2016, adding that there was also a remarkable improvement in the quality of training and staff turnover.

“As part of the readjustment in the efficient and effective running of the organisation, services that can be delivered within the organisation are patronised, thereby saving cost that would have been expended on external parties,” he stated.

According to Aboloma, the SON’s training services division is meant to run robust programmes that would disseminate information on current standards as well as provide benchmarks for other institutions that are partners in the development of the country.

“Competences of the facilitators continue to remain a primary objective and you will agree with me that there has been a surge in staff capacity building,’’ he added.

He said he had directed that the next batch of laboratories preparing for accreditation both in Ogba and Enugu to undergo the same course towards achieving accreditation.