Aduragbemi Omiyale
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A total of 96 new Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) have been approved for national use by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) governing council.
The approval was announced at the first meeting of the council since the appointment of Mr Farouk Salim as the new Director-General of the agency.
A statement from SON disclosed that the new standards cut across chemical technology, electrical/electronics, food/agriculture, textile/leather and services.
Chairman of the council, Mr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, who was represented at the meeting by Mr Halilu Hamma, explained that the approved standards were essential for the production of medical and other supplies required for the management of the COVID-19 pandemic such as syringes, face barriers, alcohol-based hand sanitiser, medical electrical equipment, health and safety measures for tourism and hospitality establishments, amongst many others.
According to him, others of great economic, regulatory and industrial importance include standards for agricultural, petroleum and automobile gas products, electrical/electronic standards for smart energy meters and renewable energy, all of which support the Federal Government policies, strategic priorities and plans.
Also, he congratulated the new DG on his appointment and assured him of the full support of the council members via a harmonious working relationship based on mutual trust and respect in order to significantly improve the organisation’s efficiency and effectiveness in delivering on its mandate to Nigerians.
Mr Sani-Gwarzo further assured the new SON chief of access to a rich and diverse knowledge, expertise and experience in the council to support his aspiration of making SON a high impact organisation in support of the nation’s socio-economic growth and development.
He praised him for being able to convene the meeting a few months after his appointment in spite of the challenges of the health pandemic and other socio-economic events.
In his remarks, Mr Salim expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for giving him the opportunity to further contribute to national development through SON, stressing that he looked forward to tapping from the rich expertise and experience of the council members in the areas of providing necessary approvals for policies to make the organisation more efficient and effective in touching the lives of Nigerians.
He expressed concern about the lack of a befitting corporate headquarters for the organisation, conducive working environment for the staff nationwide to enable them to deliver efficient services, need to be properly positioned to tackle the influx of substandard products into the country, faking and adulteration amongst others and sought the council’s support to tackle them.
However, Mr Salim reiterated his commitment to making SON a better and more impactful organisation in Nigeria as well as in regional, continental and international standardisation activities.
He also informed the council that a committee of distinguished Nigerians would be appointed to help review SON management practices and procedures and make recommendations for far-reaching reforms to strengthen the system has submitted its interim report.
