TheCable

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) says there are plans to review its act to ensure peddlers of life-threatening materials are “jailed and not just fined”.

Farouk Salim, director-general of SON, spoke on Thursday during the destruction of materials seized by the organisation in Lagos.

Salim said the peddlers are economic saboteurs who kill industries and consumers who innocently buy the products.

“In the last national assembly, we went to them to review our act to make sure that peddlers of life-threatening materials are jailed and not just fined,“ he said.

“They have passed the law but unfortunately did not get the opportunity for the president to sign it into law.

“So, it is back in the National Assembly and hopefully very soon it will be with the president.

“I am sure the president will sign that amendment and those individuals selling threatening items will be jailed immediately they are caught.”

The SON director-general said the value of the seized products was estimated to be worth billions of naira, adding that they would keep seizing the products to force the perpetrators to stop.

He said the products included vehicle tyres, which were not fit for use while some were new but were stuffed with other used ones.

“As a result, the tyres lost their integrity and are dangerous to society, while the ones looking new are used tyres, which were pressed and polished to look new,” he said.

“The fakers of the motor oil lubricants intercepted in Calabar used popular products. So, our Nigerian lubricant manufacturers that are successful have to contain with individuals trying to copy their product.

“Nobody copies a product that is not successful; the only problem is the copying is a bad one.

“The product you are seeing behind does not belong to that popular company. It was being copied and they were taken to court, convicted and the court gave us the permission to confiscate the product and destroy them.”