The House of Representatives has called for more stringent verification exercise on all imported goods at the various port of entry to eradicate the menace of fake and counterfeited products in the country.
The House of Representatives made the call at an investigative hearing of its Ad-hoc Committee on Substandard and Counterfeited Products in Nigeria.
The House Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila who declared the hearing open expressed concerns that substandard and counterfeited products in circulation in the Nigerian markets have wreaked havoc in the country.
Represented by the House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, Gbajabiamila said that the public hearing is aimed at finding solutions to the challenges posed to the Nation by the intrusion of fake and counterfeited products in the markets.
He expressed worries that in 2019, there were so many fire outbreaks, 43 cases of building collapse and other avoidable mishaps in many parts of the country due to fake and counterfeited products.
Similarly, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo in his presentation lamented that there is currently pervasive circulation of fake, substandard and counterfeited products in the Nigerian markets which need urgent sanctions.
He also informed the Ad-hoc Committee that despite the appreciable efforts of the Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON to tackle the issue, there are cases of false declaration,outright forging of SON documents.
Read Also: Lawmakers Knock Projections for 2020 budget
He listed other challenges to include using import permits obtained for raw materials to bring in finished goods, transloading where certified products by SON are replaced with substandard products before they arrive Nigeria among others.
The Director-General of SON, Osita Aboloma who admitted that the agency is really facing huge challenges in tracking the fake products since 2011 added that the low manpower at the various seaports is seriously affecting their efforts in tackling the issue.
The lawmakers and the Minister therefore called on the agency to ensure more quality verification of all regulated products on arrival from various seaports and entry points into Nigeria.
(Editor: Omor Bazuaye)
