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By Merit Ibe
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has announced plans to unleash a massive calibration service campaign across the country in its bid to drive industrialisation as well Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) development in Nigeria.
The Director General, Mallam Farouk Salim, who made the remark at the inauguration of mobile calibrate vehicles and measurement equipment in Lagos, said under his leadership to achieve its calibration exercise, the standards body would be expanding its services through mobile laboratory facilities.
He explained that imbibing the culture of regular calibration of equipment, operators in the industry would get it right, lives would be saved while economic development is assured.
According to him, with SON’s state of the art mobile collaboration services remote areas will be served, thereby enhancing the nation’s economic growth and the benefits of calibrations.
“The benefits of 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.”
He also stated that 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.
He said going forward, the agency would be engaging in public awareness to promote and protect safety, stressing that public awareness 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 to our nation cannot be overemphasised as seen in declining foreign exchange, surging unemployment and insecurity. In addition, of course, the closing of factories.
To address this challenge, the SON boss said his administration has set 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,” he urged.
Also speaking, the Director General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Dr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said Public Private Partnership (PPP) is the surest path to attain an enduring economy that would take care of Nigeria’s over 200 million population.
He assured SON of MAN’s partnership and in areas where support is needed, saying that MAN recently concluded a leadership retreat to prioritise its relationship with SON as top priority.
“This is because politicians come, politicians, but institutions have to be strong to be able to maintain the synergy that we have and so all of us have a responsibility to support SON we have a responsibility to encourage them. I want to say here that we should all leave this place resolved to ensure that SON has the resources at their disposal,” he said.
The equipment we are going to launch here 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,” he implored.
Earlier, the Director, Nigeria Metrology Institute (NMI), SON, Engr. Bede Obayi, said the journey to take calibration services to MSMEs and other valuable stakeholders in their locations, has been a long but continual one starting from 2008 to date in SON’s quest to enhance the metrology value chain in Nigeria.
He said the 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.
“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),” he said.
“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,” he advised.
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