Standards Organisation of Nigeria has reiterated its commitment to rid Nigeria of fake and substandard products.
While addressing journalists in Lagos, the Director General of SON, Dr. Joseph Odumodu said SON has been empowered to directly prosecute counterfeiters in the country without going through any other agency.
Odumodu, who was represented by the Director of Laboratory Services, SON, Mr. Louis Njoku, said “The era of impurity is gone. We can now prosecute without going through any other agency. We arrest you, we seize your products and prosecute you. This is our new act. A lot of stakeholders doing the wrong things are jittery.
“I see no reason why you will stake your money, producing a brand that is not yours. This is criminal. It is only in Nigeria you see a criminal coming out and parading himself as if he is doing the right thing.
“We are saying that the era of doing the wrong thing is gone. The fight has just started because the new act has given us what it takes to ensure that this country is rid of the fake and substandard products in circulation and Nigerians must be protected from these dangers. We want Nigerians to know that what we are doing is in their interest. We have noticed that a few people have continued to indulge in illicit businesses because they want to make ‘blood’ money and this has to stop.
“They have ripped Nigerians of their hard-earned money for a long period of time and this has to stop. Now, they want to fight the country, in order to continue with their impurity, the illegal and criminal act they are perpetuating. SON now has teeth and we are going to bite.”