The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has evacuated 200 containers of substandard tyres from a warehouse located in Obafemi Owode, a remote area in Ogun.
Mallam Farouk Salim, Director-General, SON, said the evacuation was to prevent the tyres from entering into the nation’s markets.
Salim, represented by Mr Mike Dakhing, Director, Inspectorate and Compliance, Directorate said the tyres had been tested and were found to have failed all the critical parameters as a result of stuffing.
He recalled that the standards body had stated that purveyors were devising new methods by taking advantage of the vast nature of the country to warehouse substandard goods in remote areas.
“You may recall that few weeks ago, the Director General blew open to the whole world the nefarious activities going on in this community.
“As you know, he opposes fake and substandard products and any unwholesome activity that will encourage it because that is the mandate he has been given.
“Today, we are here to evacuate these tyres which is the first stage in their destruction.
“We obtained the laboratory results after testing these tyres which they all failed.
“In our warehouse, we will await the necessary legal procedures that will enable us to destroy them.
“It is worrisome that the evacuation and destruction will cost a lot if money and the agency is perfecting an Act that will ensure the substandard products importer bear the cost,” he said.
Reacting to a question on why the tyres were classified as substandard, Salim explained that the act of stuffing them rendered the tyres dead on arrival into the country.
“The acts of stuffing them into one another and instead of bringing in the tyres in different containers have rendered the tyres bad.
“For example, if they are to bring 300 tyres in one container, they will now have the opportunity to bring in 1500 tyres and in doing that, this compromises the quality of the tyres.
“As you know, the tyres are made of wires and carbon and the test reviewed that the textile strength of the tyres have been compromised so they are no more fit for purpose and this is why we are going to destroy them.
“They may look nice in the eyes, but we rely on scientific investigation and analysis,” he said.
He assured that the agency would prosecute the unscrupulous importers of these tyres, stating that SON has laws that specify the right type of punishments to be melted on dealers of fake and substandard products in the country.
He called on Nigerians to always support the agency by giving relevant information should they suspect any form of dubious activity in their locality saying SON cannot be everywhere to checkmate the preponderance of these products with no economic value.
“I will like to appreciate the source of information to this place, because we got this through intelligent reports.
“We crave on the indulgence of Nigerians and implore them to help us identify not only tyres, but all products that are dangerous to human lives and the environment.
“We are calling on Nigerians to let us have any information because in line with our mantra which is “see something say something” as we cannot be everywhere if Nigerians do not help us we will not be able to address this issue headlong,” he stressed.
He pointed out the need to increase its sensitization activities across the country as Nigerians who still purchase substandard products because they are cheap, need to be warned about the negative effects of these products.
“We are in a dilemma and just like any other regulatory agency, when a consumer in his own decision goes to buy something that is substandard because it is cheap.
“There is not much a regulator can do and this is why we organize sensitization programmes and stakeholder engagement to warn Nigerians about the effects of substandard products, because a lot of lives have been lost in the process of buying substandard products particularly tyres, electric cables and cylinders.
“We are not at the point of entry so we can only rely on information that people give us and in doing that we also need to sensitize the public on the harmful effects of these substandard goods to their health and others.
“This is the only thing we can rely on for now,” he said.
