The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has destroyed substandard mobile phone accessories worth N480 million at Epe in Lagos.
Addressing the media at the destruction site, the Director General, Osita Aboloma Esq., stated that the organisation was on top of its game to ensure that substandard goods did not find their ways into the Nigerian markets.
Aboloma said the destruction was to serve as deterrent to unscrupulous importers who indulge in illicit trade to short-change unsuspecting consumers of their hard-earned money spent purchasing those goods.
The SON Director General stressed that the safety of lives and property of Nigerians was of great importance to the organisation. “The mobile phone accessories are fake versions of major brands such as Samsung, Techno, Infinix, Huawei and lots of others. We seized these items late last year from a commercial warehouse in Lagos”.
According to him, the products failed critical parameters of the standards when subjected to Laboratory tests and analysis. He said the importers of the substandard mobile accessories have committed an offence by faking known brands. “First, they have contravened the law of the country. They faked known brands and when we showed these products to the original brand owners, they denied ownership which means that they are fake brands”, he said
Aboloma said that the negative impact on the investment of the original brand owners was huge in addition to the economic and safety perspectives. “Such accessories may not last more than a week which do not make economic sense, because consumers do not get value for the money spent”.
“Also these accessories pose a serious threat to the users as they failed insulation parameters woefully, when tested. “The IEC standards on power states that the minimum power you get from these products should be 1000 megaohms, but the values we got after testing gave only 60 megaohms.
The SON Chief Executive said it was as bad as using naked wires, because they do not prevent any flow of current, exposing the users to electric shocks and possible fire incidents,” he added.
Aboloma noted that the products valued at over N480 million were destroyed after obtaining a court order, stressing that the organization is not happy burning the products because it is a loss to the owners as well as the Nigerian economy.
He stated that the organization we have its primary responsibility to protect the lives and property of Nigerians. “Life supersedes everything and we are not going to allow any such products found into the markets,” he said.
The Director General said SON was still on the trail of the importers of the goods with no economic value, pointing out that the agency would stop at nothing until it got them prosecuted.
Also speaking at the event, the Head, Enforcement, Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC), Lagos Office, Charles Amudipe, commended SON for its fight against substandard goods in the country, noting that the counterfeited products were not fit for use.
“At NCC, we deal with infringing materials, piracy and all the likes and just like these products, we are having here. “They are counterfeited and not fit for the end-users. What SON is doing today is a huge leap, that is the fight against counterfeit.
“People that have worked hard invested heavily and laboured to put their certified goods in the market will not reap the benefits of their investment if SON allowed these substandard accessories into the markets”, he said.
Amudipe assured Nigerians that the Federal Government was working hard to ensure that consumers got value for their hard-earned money spent on goods and services.
