The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has refuted reports in some quarter claiming that the agency is blaming Nigerian Customs Service (NSC) for the infiltration of substandard products into the country through the seaports.
While disowning the reports, SON stated that, “the attention of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Management has been drawn to some publications misquoting the Director General, Mallam Farouk Salim following the destruction of some substandard products at its facility in Lagos on Wednesday the 22rd of June, 2022.
“The Management of SON wish to state unequivocally that it holds the Nigerian Customs Service leadership and officers in very high esteem and have been working in very close collaboration with the service all over the nation to substantially reduce the importation and distribution of substandard products in Nigerian markets.”
According to a statement by Fashina Rilwan Adebola, “these were publicly expressed by the Director General, Mallam Farouk Salim recently in Lagos and Port Harcourt at interactive forums with maritime stakeholders in the two cities.
“The challenge of importation, smuggling, manufacture and distribution of substandard products is hydra headed involving some unpatriotic Nigerians and their foreign collaborators and requires the continuous cooperation of all regulatory and security agencies, patriots and quality vanguards.”
SON further stated that, “the Management of Standards Organization of Nigeria wish to therefore correct the erroneous impression that it attributes the influx of substandard products into Nigeria to the Nigerian Customs Service.
“Deliberate efforts were made by SON to request the publishers of the erroneous stories to withdraw them from circulation,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali, at the weekend noted that SON DG had, in the said reports, wrongfully flayed the Service for the smuggling of fake and substandard goods out of the nation’s seaports.
According to reports, Salim had accused the Service of being responsible for revenue losses, the preponderance of fake and substandard products, and stated that officials of SON were routinely excluded from joint operations at the nation’s seaports.
But reacting to the reports, a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of Customs, Timi Bomodi described the allegation as “untrue.”
The statement said the Service fully recognizes that strategic cooperation among security and regulatory agencies lies at the heart of national security willfully, adding that it is working in tandem with other security and regulatory agencies including SON to achieve national goals.
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“Under the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS II), SON and other regulatory agencies of government are linked directly and frequently make inputs in reference to items of significance to their operations.
“At no time has NCS refused to oblige them with any request. Indeed, the Nigeria Customs Service even without intervention from SON on its own directs suspicious items bordering on brand and intellectual property rights infringements to them.
“The attached redacted documents buttress the fact that SON has access to our systems, are informed and fully participate in examinations and even go as far as collect product samples where necessary during examinations for their investigations.
“Even the field inspection process chart on the SON official website shows the involvement of SON at the ports and borders during examinations.
“There exists open channels of communication between officials of SON and NCS Area Commands should the need arise for clarifications or interventions.
“Therefore, this statement ascribed to the DG creates a totally false narrative and is viewed as an attempt to portray the NCS in negative light. It is questionable, raises serious concerns and calls for scrutiny by discerning,” the Customs statement added.