Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, has issued a 90-day ultimatum to manufacturers of steel pipes in the country to sanitise the industry and comply with global standards for manufacturing of steel pipes in the country or face the wrath of the law.
The acting director-general of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. Paul Angya, who gave the warning at SON, Steel Pipes stakeholders consultative forum held in Lagos said the country is currently losing lives and properties to the activities of some dubious steel manufacturers producing sub-standard steel in the country.
Angya said companies found manufacturing sub-standard steel pipes would not only be shut down but the owners would be arrested and prosecuted.
“We therefore called this meeting to enable all hollow pipes manufacturing companies to know the right things to do and carry them out. As it is our style, immediate enforcement begins after this forum while we give a guided grace period of 90 days for those who want to tidy up their non-conforming operations before we carry out wholesome raiding, seizure and evacuation of all sub- standard pipes in warehouses and firms as well as prosecution of offenders.
“When our inspectorate and compliance team visited some steel pipes companies recently, it was rather amazing that some of them were not even aware of the applicable industrial standards, some of the companies were even manufacturing according to the specifications given to them by particular clients.
“We equally were astonished that some of the companies are yet to key into the SON’s Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) for local manufacturers even as there is no evidence of SON’s Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) certification for their raw materials importation.
“The situation cannot be tolerated in an organised economy. We have discovered the level of pipes in circulation without any identification marks for traceability of the pipes …Read More
Source:: Nigerian Pilot
