Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) has warned the trading public against further acts of importing goods into the country without the mandatory SONCAP or an authentic manufacturer’s Certification, stressing that such goods would not only be destroyed, the cost of such destruction would also be borne by the importers.
The SON Director General gave the warning in a charge to the founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, stressing that the SON could no longer fold its hands and watch unscrupulous Nigerians continue to import goods that could continue to endanger the lives of innocent Nigerians.
Consequently, Dr. Aniebonam has also warned members of the NAGAFF, as well as the trading public against further acts of goods importation without SONCAP or MANCAP, because the association leadership would not plead for any agent or importer who runs foul of the law.
“The DG regretted that not only do we endanger the lives of Nigerians through unwholesome practices, we also enrich other nations without getting value for our money. With this development it is our view that all freight forwarders and NAGAFF members as professionals must imbibe the principles of best practices and due compliance to import regulations” stated Aniebonam, noting that it is NAGAFF’s duty to educate and enlighten principals as to the need to become compliant to rules of engagement.
“The NAGAFF headquarter may not n attend to or plead for any member who is in the habit of evading import regulations either at the Customs operation segment or the regulatory agencies of the government schedule of duty”, the NSAGAFF founder warned further, even as he advised that NAFDAC and SON should increase and intensify effort in the area of education and enlightenment of the trading public with a view to achieving objective of due compliance to import regulations. We are satisfied with the efforts of NCS and NSC in the area of seeking for support from the trading public and freight forwarders to building capacity and cooperation for a more friendly port operation.
“Whereas we seek for the support of anti-dumping operations, there is the urgent need for SON and NAFDAC to have a second look at their administrative and defaulting charges which is seemingly very high. The public opinion is that it is encouraging smuggling in our country”, the seasoned freight forwarder remarked further.
Aniebonam, who gave kudos to the ongoing activities of the Customs Service and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, highlighted that the removal of the SON and NAFDAC from the ports and border stations may not actually equate a total truncation of either their relevant functions or their enabling laws.
“The DG stated clearly that the exit of SON and any other regulatory agencies of the government from the ports and boarder stations were basically administrative to ensuring trade facilitation in our entry points. And that the benevolence of government in that regard should not be used as a compromise to quality assurances of product imported and/or manufactured in Nigeria”, he concluded.