70% of lubricants in Nigeria are substandard — SON

The Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Osita Aboloma, has disclosed that over 70 per cent of the lubricants in the market failed the quality parameters of the Nigerian Industrial Standard.

Worried about the influx of substandard lubricants into the Nigerian market, the agency announced that it was collaborating with manufacturers and dealers of lubricants to stamp out substandard products in the sector.

Indeed, the standards body stressed the urgent need to checkmate the emerging trend of faking and cloning of successful brands so as not to short-change the unsuspecting Nigerian consumers while also preventing a drain on the Nigerian economy.

The SON boss, during an emergency meeting with stakeholders in the lubricant industry, said the development was a cause of worry to the agency.

He said, “The meeting was as a result of the persistent complaints from the consumers on the effect of the influx of substandard and adulterated engine oil that has led to the failure of machineries that are used in manufacturing.

“The products are life-threatening and create a drain on the economy. After our nationwide campaign of fighting substandard lubricants, we had to let dealers know that what we have seen is not satisfactory while also having a workable partnership to see how we can combat the menace.

“This is why we let them know that when they register their products, it becomes the responsibility of SON to protect them from purveyors of substandard products. Some of the goods that are dangerous will have to be destroyed while some undergo corrective measures all at the cost of the owners of such products.”

He noted that SON would also intensify its effort in constant monitoring of the people who manufacture or blend within Nigeria to ensure that they did not fall below the minimum requirement of the standards.

“Any importer or manufacturer that falls below the NIS will face the full wrath of the law. Nigeria is a world trade organisation member and we have the same standards for imported and locally -manufactured products. This is what we call fair trade,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director, LUBCON, Taiye Williams, stated that the activity of product adulterators was killing the manufacturing sector of the economy, saying after going through the effort to churn out quality products, the unscrupulous dealers in fake and substandard goods indulge in faking the successful brands in the market to rob consumers of their hard earned money while also destroying the image of successful brands in the market.

“We are very happy with what the Director- General, SON, is doing now and we are in full support as a group. We know that if we are able to pull this through, we will be able to solve this problem while also sustaining manufacturing in this country,” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer, Dozzy Group, Daniel Chukwudozie, commended SON’s effort in fighting the menace of substandard goods while calling on the Nigeria Customs Service to step up its game as the goods were better checked at the point of entry.

“Manufacturing is the hub of this nation and they create job opportunities for Nigeria’s teeming population, so they must checkmate the influx of the substandard lubricants so that they do not kill the industry,” he said.