The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in commemoration of its 50th-anniversary celebrations held a three-day exhibition for MANCAP-certified Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs.) products in Lagos.
The Director General Mallam Farouk Salim in his address to Stakeholders urged the Nigerian Industrial sector to remain steadfast in compliance with standards and government regulations as well as give maximum cooperation to SON in various initiatives intended to strengthen the organization.
The Director General represented by the Director of Marketing, Mr. Richard Adewumi urged Industries to invest substantially in brand protection activities to safeguard their intellectual property and associated brands against counterfeiters, copyright pirates, and producers of substandard products. Assuring them that SON is determined to rid our marketplace of these substandard and falsified products.
While reiterating the mandate of SON empowered by the SON Act to carry out factory inspection and issuance of certification to companies that meet the required standards, the DG assured participants that all products displayed by the exhibitors have met the required standards. And implored everyone to look out for the certification mark, which creates more feasibility for MANCAP-certified products and gives more confidence to the general public.
From L-R; Director Lagos Operations; Mrs. Talatu Ethan, Rep. of Viju Industries Nigeria Ltd. and the Representative of DG SON Mallam Farouk Salim; Director Marketing; Mr.Richard Adewumi during the MANCAP Certificate presentation at the SON @50 Exhibition in Lagos.
The SON helmsman stated that he looks forward to a bigger and more wonderful exhibition next year while encouraging companies to have more distributors nationwide in order to create more awareness for their products.
Salim encouraged companies to patronize SON services, which include SON Testing Services that have over forty-nine (49) functional laboratories, with an extra five (5) laboratories that will begin operations next year, SON’s Management System Certification (ISO) services and the Metrology Institute.
The DG noted that SON’s Metrology Institute is the best in Africa with mobile calibration equipment that allows industries to be calibrated at their doorsteps in any part of the country. He explained that SON’s products and services are initiated to facilitate trade both locally and internationally.
He congratulated the Directors, Lagos Operations, Mrs. Talatu Ethan, and her South West Counterpart Mrs. Yeside Akinlabi for organizing the inaugural exhibition, stating that he looks forward to the coming days when SON exhibitions will be an annual event.
Welcoming over 120 exhibitors at the SON anniversary celebration, the Director of Lagos Operation similarly restated SON’s commitment not only to support products that meet the minimum requirements of Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS) but to also showcase Made in Nigeria goods.
According to her, MANCAP certified products can have a niche in the export market and therefore urged the manufacturers not to shy away from the export market, but to follow the rudiments in exports.
The Director, South West, Mrs. Yeside Akinlabi, in her remarks, said it was her pleasure to welcome every participant to the inaugural exhibition while saying the quality is not cheap, it’s a journey and not a destination, and she enjoined them all to keep up with the standards and innovations, not to compromise profit for standards.
Representatives of various sectors of the economy delivered goodwill messages.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme Certificates (MANCAP) and awards to eighteen (18) well-deserving manufacturing industries which cuts across the four (4) categories of industry namely: Cottage, Small, Medium & Large Companies.
