SON set prosecute substandard phones dealers, others

Following the proliferation of substandard phones, computers and accessories, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, (SON) has warned fake dealers of the products to desist from the act or face the wrath of the law.

The Director General, SON, Mr. Osita Aboloma, represented by Director Product Certification, SON, Tersoo Orngudwem, while speaking in an interview with the Daily Times during an awareness forum with stakeholders at the Computer Village, Ikeja,

on the importance of e-product registration, stated that Smartphones are communication necessity with direct impact in the socio-economic life of the country, but have high risk if not manufactured to desired specifications.

Orngudwem said that the recent influx of substandard phones, computers and accessories into the country has made such products to be classified by SON as life endangered products.

“All of us are aware about the recent Executive Order by the Federal Government in which SON has been mandated to ensure strict compliance to quality of products which (phones and accessories) are enlisted both produced in/ imported into Nigeria market,

ensuring quality of product apart from enabling ease of doing business and safety of lives, also ensures that consumers have value for money spent,” he said.

He said that through “our surveillance team, the Agency has received information that some of dealers even go as far as cloning, faking and counterfeiting of phones.”

He warned that anyone caught in these criminal activities by SON, would face the full wrath of the law.

SON, he said, appreciates the collaboration with Phone & Allied Products Dealers Associations, (PAPDA), adding that the Agency is mandating the union leaders to ensure that all its members importing phones, computers

and accessories to within one month period commence the process of e-product registration of all their phones / accessories, as part in order to enable SON determine the product status and have a product data base for traceability.

He called on importers of branded phones to, within this period, liaise with product registration unit to work out modalities of factories’ inspection by SON’s officials in those countries where these phones

and accessories are manufactured to ascertain and certify the qualities of these communication equipment and gadgets before shipping them down into the country.

“It is very important to note that after the end of this grace period full enforcement will commence and persons who failed to register will face the full wrath of law as prescribed in SON AC, 14, 2015,” he added.

He informed Daily Times that SON was planning from December 31, this year to beginning the issuance of Product Authentication Mark logo, by which even users of Android phone and others can scan to determine whether a product is genuine or not.

“We are transiting from enforcement by force to enforcement of knowing what to buy. There is one thing that we don’t do in Nigeria which is product recall,

elsewhere in the world there is product recall, so, if they register their products here in Nigeria, and they have a product recall process, it is traceable, and it can easily be recalled,” he said.

Commenting on the interactive session, the President of PAPDA, Mr. Geofrey Nwosu informed The Daily Times that those who were perpetuating these nefarious businesses will soon run out of business.

By Tony Nwakaegho