Group Lauds Agency’s Crackdown On Substandard Products

The Integrity Advocacy for Development Initiative (IADI) has presented the factual outcomes of its civil society engagement with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), commending the agency’s enforcement actions, prosecutions, inter-agency collaboration, and efforts to address operational challenges in the fight against substandard products.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the executive director of IADI, Comrade Ofomhi Christopher, said the briefing was in line with the organisation’s mandate to promote transparency, accountability, and informed public discourse within Nigeria’s regulatory environment.

According to IADI, the engagement with the management of SON took place on August 19, 2025, following persistent public concerns over the circulation of counterfeit and substandard products in Nigerian markets.

The meeting, the organisation said, was aimed at clarifying SON’s enforcement strategies and understanding the operational realities confronting the agency.

IADI disclosed that SON management, led by Mr. Manji Pius Lawal, special assistant (Strategy) to the director general, briefed civil society representatives on enforcement mechanisms, prosecution efforts, institutional reforms, and systemic constraints affecting regulatory effectiveness.

On enforcement and monitoring, SON explained that it has decentralised its enforcement framework to improve responsiveness across states.

The agency also reported the deployment of digital monitoring tools, including real-time reporting platforms, to enhance supervision and accountability of field officers.

SON further revealed that more than 18 steel manufacturing companies producing non-compliant steel products have been sealed following structured monitoring and compliance assessments.

On prosecution, SON presented records of concluded and ongoing cases involving engine oil adulteration, cable rebranding, sugar adulteration in Kano State, and the production of unhygienic sachet water.

The agency disclosed that over 20 court orders have been obtained for the seizure and destruction of harmful and substandard products.

The agency also outlined its collaboration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on the Product Authentication Mark (PAM), an initiative designed to enable consumers to independently verify the authenticity of products in the marketplace.

SON highlighted several operational constraints, including the absence of its personnel at Nigerian ports, the existence of numerous unmanned borders that facilitate illicit imports, manpower shortages, and statutory revenue remittance obligations that limit operational flexibility.

On public engagement, the agency noted the availability of toll-free consumer complaint lines and its participation in the National Single Window initiative aimed at improving coordination among regulatory and border management agencies.

IADI said the disclosures provide important context often missing from public discussions on standards enforcement, stressing that effective accountability requires access to accurate and verifiable information.

The organisation also acknowledged the director general of SON for what it described as measurable enforcement actions, institutional adjustments, and stakeholder engagement initiatives recorded within just over one year of his appointment, noting that the acknowledgement was based strictly on documented outcomes.

IADI reaffirmed its independence, stating that it would continue to engage public institutions critically and objectively, while encouraging Nigerians to remain vigilant as consumers and to utilise established reporting channels.