A bill seeking to enhance the standard of goods being patronised in Nigeria by increasing the penalty for people who import sub-standard goods into the country has passed second reading in the Senate.

The bill which seeks to repeal and re-enact the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Act 2004, with a view to providing additional functions for it, was sponsored by Senator Nenadi Usman ( Kaduna South).

Leading debate on the bill, Usman explained that the bill set out to place SON on a firm footing to enable Nigeria fully realise the gains of standardisation.

According to her, since its establishment in 1971, the Act establishing the bill had been tinkered with thrice by the parliament, explaining that the changes were meant to “continually place the organisation in a better position to enable it discharge its functions effectively.”

“The overall objectives of the amendment bill is to further enhance the ability of SON to effectively carry out its statutory responsibilities in the areas of procurement process, compulsory product recall, pre-shipment verification of conformity and standard marks,” Usman added.

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