Federal Government through the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is set to blacklist and prosecute seven companies importing substandard and life-endangering products into Nigeria from China.

The exercise, according to Mr. Osita Aboloma, Director-General of SON, would be a continuous one.

The named companies, against which court orders had been procured included Awulu Investment Nigeria Limited, Doncas Associate Nigeria Limited, Britto International Commercial Industrial Limited and GNCSP Global Services.

Other companies, according to Aboloma, were Ike and Sons Enterprises, Kumara Global Limited and Chudon Global Impex Limited

These companies he said were among those identified to have persistently circumvented Nigeria’s import regime by their deliberate and consistent refusal to comply with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria off-shore Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP).

In a letter to the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, the Director-General, SON, stated that the activities of the companies had impacted negatively on the perception of the Nigerian people on the quality of goods and services from the Peoples’ Republic of China.

According to him, unless immediate steps are taken to arrest the situation, incurable reputational damage would be done to the government and People of China.

“We are of the view that every step necessary should be taken to prevent them from jeopardising the excellent trade and cultural relationship between the Government and Peoples of China and Nigeria,” he said.

SON Chief Executive stated further that Nigeria has had cause to apprehend and prosecute some Chinese nationals involved in the importation of substandard and life-endangering products and had also destroyed several substandard products seized from some of the listed Chinese Companies worth several millions of naira.

Aboloma observed, however, that the measures appear not enough to deter the non-compliant persons and had, therefore, sought the Chinese Government’s collaboration in ensuring that these companies were equally blacklisted in China and prevented from exporting to Nigeria.

The SON helmsman insisted that security agencies should treat the identified companies as economic saboteurs and recommended prosecuting them as such under the Miscellaneous Offences Act, and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Act No. 14 of 2015.

• Sourced from a Daily Independent report

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