By Nkechi Eze
In a renewed effort to champion industrial quality, promote local content, and foster sustainable economic growth, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has successfully concluded a two-day Stakeholder Sensitization Campaign in Adamawa State. The theme of the campaign, “Nigeria First: Standardization, The Path to Sustainable Economic Growth,” reflected SON’s strategic focus on using quality standards as a tool for national development.
The campaign, which held across Jimeta and other parts of Yola, featured a combination of grassroots market engagement and a high-level town hall meeting with key stakeholders. It brought together representatives of the government, academia, trade associations, and members of the business community.
Speaking at the event, the Director General/Chief Executive of SON, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, who was represented by the Director of Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Talatu Ethan, emphasized the pivotal role of standardization in Nigeria’s journey towards industrial competitiveness and economic resilience.
“Standardization is the bedrock of sustainable development. A nation that seeks prosperity must pay attention to the quality of goods and services it produces and consumes. This is why we are engaging traders, manufacturers, and stakeholders at all levels to promote compliance and foster a culture of quality,” she stated.
As part of the campaign, SON officials visited the Jimeta Modern Market, where they conducted live demonstrations and practical engagements with traders, helping them understand how to identify certified products, avoid counterfeits, and appreciate the economic value of compliance with established standards.
The town hall meeting created an interactive platform where participants discussed critical challenges faced by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the dangers of substandard products, and the importance of the Product Authentication Mark (PAM) and Product Identification Scheme (PIS) in traceability and enforcement.
Mrs. Ethan noted that the Product Identification Scheme is one of SON’s recent innovations aimed at protecting both the consumer and the business community. “By embracing the PIS, our MSMEs can stand strong against counterfeiting, strengthen their brand identity, and gain better access to local and international markets,” she said.
She further urged Nigerians to patronize locally made goods, stressing that “Made in Nigeria” should no longer be a label of compromise but a badge of quality and national pride.
“We cannot grow the economy if we continue to depend on foreign goods while ignoring our own. Quality must be local, and local must be quality. That is how we become globally competitive and take advantage of frameworks like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” she added.
Stakeholders at the event lauded SON’s commitment to deepening public awareness, describing the campaign as timely, impactful, and crucial to national reorientation. Many traders expressed satisfaction with the organization’s practical approach to quality assurance and called for sustained engagement.
The event concluded with a renewed call for collective responsibility among all sectors government, businesses, consumers, and regulators to combat the menace of substandard products and promote a quality-driven economy.
