Stakeholders Urge Nigerians to Make Quality, Merit National Culture

Stakeholders in the quality assurance sector have asked Nigerians to make quality, merit, integrity and adherence to standards a national culture.

They said the values are critical to sustainable development and global competitiveness.

They spoke yesterday at an international press conference organised by the Institute of Quality Assurance of Nigeria (IQAN) in Abuja, with the theme, “The Vision of Quality for Nigeria: A Presidential Pathway for Sustainable Development.”

At the event in Abuja, the senior special assistant to the Senate President on Legal Matters, Dr Monday Onyekachi (SAN), said Nigerians must promote standards and merit in their daily relationships, professional engagements and dealings.

Onyekachi stressed that the pursuit of quality should not be limited to goods and services but should also extend to individual conduct, institutions and the way citizens relate to one another.
He said a society that values quality would be better positioned to improve productivity, accountability and national development.

The chairman of IQAN, Prof. Victor Akpan, said the institute was established to broaden the understanding and practice of quality assurance across Nigeria.

Akpan said quality should be regarded as a principle applicable to everyone and reflected in people’s decisions, conversations, behaviour and responsibilities.

He added that IQAN had continued to strengthen professional capacity through training and certification programmes in quality assurance and quality management.

According to him, the institute offers programmes ranging from basic certification to advanced certificates, diplomas and higher degree levels, while maintaining relationships with international quality organisations.

Also speaking, the President of the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja, and the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Anambra State, Prof. Azikiwe Peter Onwualu, said that quality must become an integral part of Nigeria’s culture.

Onwualu said quality should go beyond inspection, accreditation, certification and compliance, arguing that it requires the consistent and responsible pursuit of excellence.

He warned that sustainable development would remain difficult to achieve unless quality was entrenched in the country’s institutions, policies, systems and everyday practices.

The Chairman of the FCT Association of Nigerian Exporters, Godfrey Ajayi Sund, who represented the association’s Director-General, Prince Idiong Joseph, described quality as a major determinant of Nigeria’s success in the global marketplace.

Sund linked some of the country’s development challenges to poor standards and corruption, saying efforts to improve quality must also tackle practices that undermine accountability.

He urged Nigerians to take responsibility for their individual actions, noting that seemingly minor acts of non-compliance and disregard for standards could contribute to wider societal problems.

Sund also highlighted the difficulties confronting Nigerian exporters, particularly the high cost of certification and laboratory testing, as well as inadequate testing facilities.

He called for increased investment in quality infrastructure to enable Nigerian products, especially agricultural and manufactured goods, to meet international requirements and compete effectively in the global market.