Reps summon minister, SON DG, others over fake, counterfeit goods

The House of Representatives has invited the Minister of Industry, Director General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Director General of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council, to brief it on the measures in place for lasting solution to the spread of fake and counterfeit goods in the country.


To this end, the House at plenary Wednesday, mandated its joint committee on Commerce, Industry, Information,
National Orientation, and Ethics and Values to engage the invitees, and report its findings back within four weeks.

A member, Chike Okafor in a motion he titled “Need to investigate the influx of fake, sub-standard and counterfeit products in Nigeria”, noted that SON, vested with the powers to confiscate sub-standard or counterfeit products and also has supervisory and prosecutorial powers against importers, manufacturers and producers of counterfeit products, but not meeting up in the responsibilities.

“The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is yet to live up to its mandate to ensure the standards and quality of products imported into Nigerian or manufactured locally creating value for money for the products,” he said.

the lawmaker said the domestic market is awash with all kinds and categories of fake products including electrical, electronics, household appliances and equipment, building materials, automobile parts and the government of Nigeria appears overwhelmed by the enormity of the menace.

He argued that sub-standard products manufactured or
imported into Nigeria endanger lives and create a disincentive to investments and local production, thereby negating the whole essence of protecting Nigeria industries and have negatively affected the economy as foreign investors and Nigerian entrepreneurs who create jobs and contribute significantly to the economy are closing down because of their inability to compete with fake and sub-standard products being dumped in Nigeria.