SON confiscates 200 containers of substandard tires in Ogun

The Nigerian Standards Organization (SON) evacuated 200 containers of substandard tires from a warehouse in Obafemi Owode, a remote area of ​​Ogun.

Malam Farouk Salim, Managing Director of SON, said the removal of stuffed tires was aimed at preventing the product from entering domestic markets.

Salim, represented by Mr Mike Dakhing, Director of Inspection and Compliance, said the tires had been tested and found to have failed all critical parameters due to the “jam”.

He recalled that suppliers were developing new methods by taking advantage of the vast nature of the country to store substandard goods in remote areas.

“You may recall that a few weeks ago the Director-General opened up to the world the harmful activities taking place in this community.

“Today, we are here to evacuate these tires which will be the first step in their destruction.

“We got the lab results after testing these tires and they all failed.

“We will wait for the necessary legal procedures that will allow us to destroy them.

“It is worrying that the evacuation and destruction will cost a lot of money and SON is in the process of finalizing a law which will guarantee standard products in the country,” he said.

Reacting to a question about why the tires were classified as substandard, Salim explained that the act of “stuffing” caused the tires to die when they arrived in the country.

“Stuffing the tires into each other and instead of putting them in different containers made the tires defective.

“For example, if they have to bring 300 tires in a container, they will now have the option of bringing 1,500 tires and in doing so compromises the quality of the tires.

“As you know, the tires are made of threads and carbon and the test showed that the textile resistance of the tires had been compromised.

“So they are no longer suitable for their purpose and that is why we are going to destroy them.

“They may look beautiful to the eye, but we rely on scientific research and analysis,” he said.

Salim assured that SON would prosecute unscrupulous importers of these tires.

According to him, SON has laws that specify the right kind of penalties to apply to resellers of counterfeit and substandard products in the country.

He called on Nigerians to always support the agency by providing relevant information if they suspect any form of questionable activity in their locality.

“This is important because SON cannot be everywhere to control the preponderance of these products without economic value.

“I will appreciate the source of information from this place because we got it through smart reports.

“We long for the indulgence of Nigerians and implore them to help us identify not only tires but all products that are dangerous to human life and the environment.

“We call on Nigerians to give us any information because in accordance with our mantra which is ‘see something say something’ because we cannot be everywhere if Nigerians do not help us we will not be able to resolve this problem head-on,” he said.

He stressed the need to increase his awareness across the country as Nigerians who still buy substandard products because they are cheap need to be warned about the negative effects of such products.

“We are faced with a dilemma and like any other regulatory agency, when a consumer, in their own decision, buys something that is substandard because it is cheap.

“There is not much that a regulator can do and that is why we are running awareness programs and stakeholder engagement to educate Nigerians about the effects of substandard products.

“Because a lot of lives have been lost in the process of purchasing substandard products, especially tires, electric cables and cylinders.

“We’re not at the point of entry, so we can only rely on the information people give us.

“And in doing so, we also need to educate the public about the harmful effects of these substandard products on their health and others.

“It’s the only thing we can count on at the moment,” said the managing director. (NAN)