By ebosele@hotmail.com –
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Edo State Office, has strengthened its collaboration with the National Union of Market Traders Employers of Nigeria (NUMTEN), Edo State Chapter, to enhance standards compliance, consumer protection, product quality awareness and market surveillance across the state.
The partnership was reaffirmed during a courtesy visit by the NUMTEN delegation to the SON Edo State Office, where both organisations pledged to work together in promoting quality products and eliminating counterfeit and substandard goods from the markets.
Representing the Director General and Chief Executive of SON, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, the Edo State Coordinator, Mrs. Helen Dapo-Onafuye, welcomed the delegation and reiterated the organisation’s commitment to standards development, quality assurance, consumer protection and the promotion of fair trade.
She also educated participants on key SON programmes, including the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP), the Import Permit process and the agency’s Consumer Complaints Resolution Mechanism.
Speaking on behalf of NUMTEN, the State Chairman, Comrade Osaige O. Godwin, commended SON for its efforts in protecting consumers and maintaining product quality standards across the country.
Godwin called for stronger collaboration between the agency and market traders through regular market sensitisation, capacity-building programmes and public awareness campaigns to enable traders identify certified products and combat the circulation of substandard goods.
During an interactive session, SON officials urged traders to promptly report suspected counterfeit and substandard products, stressing that effective cooperation between regulators and market operators is vital to safeguarding consumers and ensuring compliance with Nigerian Industrial Standards.
The meeting concluded with both organisations identifying practical areas for collaboration, including public enlightenment, standards advocacy, market surveillance and consumer protection, with the shared goal of fostering a stronger culture of quality and standards compliance across Edo State.
