By Anthony Areh
The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has pledged it would effect changes through the promotion of innovations that would stimulate self-sufficiency.
Malam Farouk Salim, the newly-appointed Director-General of SON, made the pledge in a short ceremony at the conference room of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment as he assumed office, obtained from the Standards body website on Saturday.
Salim took the baton of leadership from former Director-General, Mr Osita Aboloma, on Sept. 26, 2020.
According to the website, the assumption was witnessed by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, the Permanent Secretary and Chairman, SON Governing Council, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, among others.
Commenting on his vision for the organisation, Salim promised to bring changes by promoting public safety, the role of standards in local manufacturing, import and export as well as creating an enabling environment for innovations.
He promised to bring his core competencies in organisational restructuring, quality assurance and project management to bear in driving further the relevance of SON in national socio-economic development.
Salim stressed his desire to strengthen enforcement through increased cooperation with the relevant law enforcement authorities and the Judiciary.
He promised to work more closely with the National Assembly and the Executive arm of Government to update regulations and penalties as well as lobby for improved budgetary allocations for needed improvements and staff welfare.
“We would also leverage on information and communication technology to disseminate our activities more efficiently, real time, in order to engender greater stakeholders’ buy-in and revamp public confidence in our organisation,” he said.
The SON helmsman promised to also lessen red tape, further simplify payment systems through increased investment in information technology, to guarantee improved service delivery.
He also promised to imbibe operational efficiency and encourage customer feedback and suggestions toward achieving the goals.
He assured the staff members of a level playing field to enable free flow of ideas and expression of competencies and urged them to continue to give their best to the Nation through the Standards Organisation of Nigeria.
Salim also promised to make stakeholders, particularly the organised private sector groups a fulcrum of his administration’s focus.
