China’s double standards

Speaking recently at an interactive session between the management of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and “Course 16” participants of the Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), who were on a study visit to the regulatory body in Abuja, the organisation’s director of legal services, Barr. Umaru Kawu, expressed frustration over the influx of substandard products into the country from China.
Kawu cited lack of cooperation from the Chinese standards regulatory body as the major reason for the continuous importation of fake and substandard Chinese products into Nigeria. He said: “In our discussion, we demanded that all exports from China should carry certificates of free sail, which presupposes that the same goods can be sold in China. They declined and this raises ethical questions about allowing a company to produce what is below an acceptable standard in your country.
“The next stumbling block is related to commercial remedy; linked to the return of product is the ability of a Nigerian who has followed all the requirements, having opened ‘Form-M’ and letters of credit; there is traceability. We said, trace the persons responsible for the violation and we should be able to make the information available to them in China to assist in getting back the money. Again, they said these are commercial matters; they cannot participate in them.”
He also blamed Nigerian entrepreneurs for going to manufacturers in China to demand for low quality specifications and disclosed that the SON had stated its position to the federal government. Only recently, the former director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, was quoted as saying that a large portion of fake goods in Nigeria emanated from China and India. He further revealed that while India was playing supportive role to fight the trend, China was passive.
It smacks of double standards for China to refuse to cooperate with Nigerian regulatory agencies in checkmating the criminal activities from the source. In China, manufacturing of fake products attracts severe punishment such as death sentence. As recently as 2010 or thereabouts, a Chinese company that produced adulterated baby foods leading to the death of many innocent children was shut down and those found culpable were sentenced to death.
So, if production of fake goods could attract such a severe sanction in China, how come that such murderous practices are allowed to thrive for exports to this country? The message we are getting from China is that the lives of Nigerian consumers of their counterfeit products are of little or no value.
However, it takes two to tango. While we condemn the Chinese manufacturers and the regulatory bodies for turning a blind eye to production of fake goods for export to Nigeria, we think the federal government is not doing enough to stem the tide. Nigerian businessmen and women who engage in these nefarious activities are neck deep in them because the government encourages them by not applying appropriate sanctions on those involved in the dirty and dangerous trade.
The phenomenon of importation of fake and substandard products from China and other Asian countries is not peculiar to entrepreneurs alone. Politicians seeking elective offices and those desiring to empower the youths in redeeming their electoral promises are also known to place orders for substandard motorcycles from China. The consequences of these terrible practices are there for all to see on our highways.
But China should not shoulder the whole blame. In fact, we have a lion’s share of the culpability. Fifty-four years after independence, Nigeria remains a net importer of all manner of goods including toothpicks and even petroleum products that we are endowed with. The harsh economic environment brought about by the collapse of electricity supply among other factors ran the manufacturing sector aground, thus perpetually placing us at the mercy of manufacturers of counterfeit goods. The federal government should fix the economy and provide the right atmosphere for a return to the good old days when our industries were operating at optimal level.