The Federal Government has kick started the calibration of weighbridges nationwide taking off with the weighbridges used for weighing loads at the ports and petroleum products terminals and depots.

The exercise, which began on Thursday according to the Director General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mallam Farouk Salim, is a directive of the Federal Ministry of Transport aimed at preserving the Nigerian roads from further destruction and give commuters respite in their daily movements for economic transactions and other needs.

Salim who was represented by the Director of the National Metrology Institute Enugu, Engr. Bede Obaghi, at the flag-off of the exercise at the APM Terminal Apapa, Lagos Ports Complex, noted that the calibration exercise was given to the Institute, a unit in SON as the custodians of the primary measurements standards of highest accuracy in Nigeria.

Accordingly, he said that metrology as the science of measurements can be used to check the influx of substandard goods and services in Nigeria. And that this is evident in the just approved contract sum for road construction and rehabilitation by the Federal Executive Council at its recent 31st weekly virtual meeting in Abuja.

The DG noted that Kenya is implementation a similar process which Nigeria is adopting, saying the Institute is to ensure that the weighbridges are giving accurate measurements to the users.

Recall that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) recently approved the National Quality Policy to stop rejection of Nigerian goods exported out of the country.(Sunday Telegraph)