The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has been commended for its efforts in providing nationwide technical support for manufacturers and institutions with a focus on homegrown solutions in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.
The Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, Mr. Olusegun Aluko gave the commendation during an inspection of the institution’s Mechanical hand sanitiser, disinfectant booth and mechanical ventilator by SON inspectors from the Ogun State Office.
According to the Rector, the visit by the SON team is a great encouragement to the institution’s management in its efforts to support the Federal Government in containing the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
He expressed the institution’s preparedness to subject its various innovations to SON scrutiny with a view to getting them all certified under the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme for made in Nigeria products.
Aluko called for greater support from the Federal Government and the organised private sector for mass production of the homegrown innovations and solutions to reduce the nation’s dependency on imported products, pressure on hard-earned foreign exchange and promote relatively cheaper local alternatives.
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According to him, the innovations by the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, other tertiary institutions and local manufacturers are coming at the right time as the world is facing a pandemic with the attendant need for ventilators, sanitisers and disinfectant booths among other essential materials.
Speaking on behalf of the Director-General, Osita Aboloma, during the inspection, SON Ogun State Office 1 Coordinator, Engr. Jerome Umoru, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment towards providing unrelenting technical support to all manufacturers of essential materials and equipment, including tertiary institutions, in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
He said: “SON is ready to partner with all technical institutions especially those involved in the production of life-saving equipment and materials at this time, so that their products will meet the minimum requirements of the relevant Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) and undergo certification under the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) scheme.”
The SON Chief Executive indicated that very soon, Nigerian consumers would be empowered through a product authentication scheme to determine the quality and conformance of products at the point of purchase, stressing that those without necessary certifications would be rejected.
