Nigeria’s standards agency steps up surveillance with 16-man unit to strengthen data gathering

The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has inaugurated a 16-man Surveillance, Investigation and Monitoring (SIM) unit targeted at strengthening its data gathering capacity and bridging information gaps in its operations.

The team in concert with the federal operations unit, the Nigerians Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies on intelligence gathering and sharing will undertake quality assurance activities, enforcement and regulatory actions to curb unbridled influx of substandard products.

Osita Aboloma, chief executive officer SON said the initiative was backed by the organization’s 2015 Act, which mandated it to interact with stakeholders in the aspects of standards enforcement, factory inspection, market surveillance, product registration, management systems, sensitisation among others.

Aboloma said the SIM unit will be domiciled in Lagos under the leadership of Isa Suleiman,the deputy director, who will coordinate operations and administration/logistics and give reports to the director-general.

The decision in consonance with the anti-corruption drive of the current administration, he noted, was critical to its role of protecting the economy while maintaining the ease of doing business.

He said: “the handling of these activities are critical to the overall reputation of SON, thus necessitating that the chief executive has all information at his fingertip to boost his capacity to respond adequately in the overall interest of the nation’s economy. This is also expected to promote effective delivery and a turnaround.”

Assuring the director-general of his commitment, Suleiman said: “I wish to express appreciation for the confidence expressed in us by the management. We have been given the terms of reference on exactly what we are to do and team has been carefully selected on based integrity and I assure you of performance. For every assignment, the monitoring will be there and report.”