Idahosa Moses | Benin City
FOLLOWING complaints of sub-standard goods, especially electronics and electrical products in the market, dealers in Edo State have argued that there are no fake products anywhere in the state.
President of Edo Electronics Dealers Association (EEDA), Paul Ani, in an exclusive chat with the Nigerian Tribune in Benin City explained that there are different products in the market for customers to make their choice.
Ani further said that electrical and electronic dealers in the state purchase their products only from production companies approved by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
He said: “Each time we are talking about fake products, it means that you are changing what is called LG to Panasonic.
“It is at that point that it becomes fake. But if you are talking about product; we have Panasonic, we have LG, we have Hisense, they are all good products but their strength of performance are not the same. It doesn’t make any of it fake.
“We have America standard, Europe standard, Asia standard and Africa standard. They are of different qualities,” Ani said.
Speaking on electrical generating set, Ani explained that it was made specifically to serve as alternative and not the main source of power supply, maintaining that the durability of products depend on the usage.
“Generator will last when the users switch it off for at least three hours to rest as specified by the producer, but in Nigeria, we want to use it 12 to 24 hours a day. Why will it not break down?
“It is also expected that somebody that bought freezer should also add stabiliser to it to protect it from power surge; which Nigerians are not doing.
“When there is low voltage, it is bound to affect the product. It has nothing to do with the manufacturers or the sellers.
“It has to do with the person that bought it who refuses to do what is expected of him or her to do,” he added
It will be recalled that the Director-General of SON, , Farouk Salim, at a stakeholders’ conference earlier in April in Abuja said the organisation will put in place stiffer sanctions to check sub-standard products.
Salim represented by the Assistant Director of Public Relations Department, said a Bill to repeal and enact SON Act will provide stiffer penalties like jail terms to unscrupulous individuals to serve as a deterrent to others.
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