By Charles Okonji
Saddled with the responsibility of enhancing the country’s participation and benefits from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has unveiled its multi-million naira mobile calibration laboratory in Lagos on Tuesday.
The SON mobile laboratory will further enhance the capacity of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), as well as facilitating the much needed industrial development in Nigeria.
According to the Director General, Mallam Farouk Salim, at the inauguration of the newly acquired mobile calibration vehicles and measurement equipment, operators in the industry would get it right, lives would be saved while economic development is assured.
Salim pointed out that mobile collaboration services solve calibration problems initially faced in the remote areas, stressing that it will further energize the nation’s economic growth and the attendant benefits accruing for AfCFTA.
“Calibration would help to ensure compliance, monitoring the control of substandard products across the country, promoting mass production for industries and businesses, facilitate transactions in business, trade and commerce and fast track overall industrial growth, especially development of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country.
“This calibration would provide access to new markets, prevent trade barriers, open up global market, increased market share, increase productivity, reduce costs, minimise errors and guarantee consistency and uniformity of product.
“SON would be engaging in public awareness to promote and protect safety. We will embark on public awareness, which will also highlight the importance of calibration to improving the quality of lives in general.
“As we are all aware, the plague caused by substandard products to our nation cannot be overemphasised as seen in declining foreign exchange, surging unemployment and insecurity in addition, of course, to the closing of factories. To address this challenge, the SON is out to strengthen available measures to fight substandard products across the country.
“Some of the measures include establishing six new offices in more locations for better coverage, provision of testing facilities across the various regions and the establishment of SON special task force to serve as a third eye. Though there have been so many challenges, but we remain undeterred. It is a worthy cause and together we shall win this war. I therefore invite you to join hands with us to fight the influx of substandard goods and create a healthy nation by patronising our calibration services,” Salim emphasized.
In his remarks, the Director-General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Dr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, stated that Public Private Partnership (PPP) was the easiest way to attain an enduring economy that would take care of Nigeria’s over 200 million population.
Commending SON on this giant stride, Ajayi-Kadiri noted that SON/MAN partnership will yield the expected results, adding that MAN recently concluded a leadership retreat to prioritise its relationship with SON as top priority.
According to him, “Politicians come, politicians, go, but institutions have to be strong to be able to maintain the synergy that we have. So, all of us have a responsibility to support and encourage SON. I want to say here that we should all leave this place resolved to ensure that SON has the resources at their disposal.
“The equipment we launching today are not the numbers that is required to cover this country. We have 774 local governments. We need SON to be everywhere so that we are able to deliver excellent service. So I encourage all of us business organisations to look for ways that SON can be supported to make our country better. This is a game changer for us. We assure SON that together we shall make this country great again.”
Explaining the functions and importance of the mobile laboratory, the Director, Nigeria Metrology Institute (NMI), SON, Engr. Bede Obayi, recounted that the journey to taking calibration services to MSMEs and other valuable stakeholders in their various locations, has been a very long-term ambition.
Engr. Obayi stated that NMI has been established for the dissemination of measurement standards and providing traceability and accuracy of measurements to the industries, laboratories, trade and commerce, aviation, oil and gas, agriculture, health, education, automotive, mining, power and others.
In his word, “This means that metrology is life and life begets all developments and advancements in technology towards better living. The scope of NMI of SON is varied and significant as the sole representative of Nigeria at the International Bureau for Weights and Measures (BIPM) situated in France, for all world metrology matters (scientific and industrial). While thanking those that have embraced our metrology services so far, | urge you all to take advantage of this visit to enrich yourself properly on our metrology operations, for the benefits of your organization and the country in general.”
