Esther Komolafe
The SON DG Mallam Salim has lamented that the economy of Nigeria is damaged daily due to the importation of substandard goods. He described the importers of these products as saboteurs who are sponsoring insecurity and terrorism in the country. He said this on Wednesday 22 June 2022 while addressing the media during the mass destruction of the substandard goods, at the agency’s warehouse at Ago palace way by Apple junction okota Lagos.
While supervising the mass destruction, Mallam Salim revealed the items: electric cables, engine oil, gas cylinders, stuffed new tyres, substandard and unapproved cigarettes and substandard low-grade roofing sheets worth billions of naira.
He made it known that the substandard goods are now being destroyed after securing the court order to do so. He stressed that customs officers that are at the point of entry of these are only trained to collect revenue and that they do not know how to spot fake imported items.
“The products were smuggled into the country through the ports, if we are in the ports, we would be able to limit the number of fake products, but we only raided these items in the market where they are ready to be sold to unsuspecting customers.”
Mallam Salim appealed to the federal government to revisit the 2015 Act,
He added: “We do not have unfettered access like the constitution said we should. The law in the 2015 Act says that we must be allowed to be at the port, it is not a favour that we should be waiting on someone to call us into the port, we as Nigerians and part of the government by law. Unless the law is changed by the National Assembly, signed by Mr President, the law says that SON must and should be at the port, not at the discretion of any other organizations.
“It would be much easier for us if we are at the point of importation of these products.”
He said that all the items destroyed by the agency worth billions of Naira were smuggled through Nigerian ports and were only intercepted by SON officials inside the markets, ready to be sold out to innocent Nigerians
These criminals are sponsoring terrorism, separatism and banditry in this country. So it is not just selling substandard goods, they are now using the proceeds to attack us. We are not resting on our oars in ensuring that we fight this war.
Lives are lost, properties are lost, and these criminals doing these activities must be brought to book, some of them are already in jail, and some are in court.
The importers are doing these nefarious activities to double their profits. They do this intentionally. We have information that they are using the proceeds to sponsor insecurity in Nigeria.
“We have genuine manufacturers of these items in Nigeria but they have been forced out of business because of the influx of substandard goods. This act is taking away jobs from families and communities, we have unemployed youths everywhere.”