The Director General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria(SON) Mallam Farouk Salim, has stated that testing is a critical component of conformity assessment programme of the Agency.
He said this at the Commissioning ceremony of the North-east regional office and laboratory complex in Bauchi recently, adding that SON is one of the pillars of national quality infrastructure.
Salim noted, the organization has resolved to secure accreditation for the laboratories in the complex before the end of his tenure, explaining that the accreditation would ensure global acceptance of the test reports from the facility in accordance with the principle of’ tested once accepted globally.
According to him, “The edifice we are commissioning comprise laboratories on the ground floor and 18 offices on the first and second floor in addition to a large conference room. The offices would house the North East Regional Office of the Organisation as well as our Bauchi State Office. The laboratories are in Food Chemistry and Engineering. The Food Chemistry laboratory would focus on food related products including the very popular Bauchi.”
“When the strategic decision was made to establish this laboratory and others, in some states and the FCT, Abuja, the major factor that weigh heavily was the need to improve the turn around time for the delivery of our laboratory services, thereby protecting the integrity of our testing systems.
“The choice of Bauchi for the North East Regional Office was quite simple and straightforward. The state is well known for the excellent disposition of its people who are great entrepreneurs in diverse aspects of commerce and industry. But, more importantly, Bauchi was the first state in the North East to offer us land large enough for our purpose. Indeed, our application for this land was treated with utmost dispatch. Your Excellency, please accept our immense gratitude for the professional manner your officials handled our application.
The DG noted that the engineering laboratory is dedicated for products in the building industry which be serving both large entity such as Lafarge Cement Company in nearby Gombe State and thousands of block moulders in this State and across the North East.
He expressed that the complex is deliberately designed to meet the needs of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s), who are major drivers for the economic development of our country.
“The construction of this facility is therefore, part of the holistic plan of SON to reduce cost of business for MSME’s in the North East, thereby contributing to the Federal Government policy of ease of doing business.
“Testing is a critical component of conformity assessment programme of SON, which in turn is one of the pillars of our national quality infrastructure.
“I resolved that we secure accreditation for the laboratories in this complex before the end of my tenure. The accreditation would ensure global acceptance of the test reports from this facility in accordance with the principle of’ tested once accepted globally
“SON has other services that should be patronised by entities in Bauchi State, particularly the State Government. I would like to advise certification to the various International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) Management Systems Standards.
“The certification would assure persons you deal with that your processes and procedures are managed in accordance with the requirements of the applicable standards. International bodies and your development partners would have confidence in engaging with Bauchi State knowing that you manage your processes according to the standard they themselves are certified to.”
