No fewer than 26 shops found stocking items suspected to be substandard were on Wednesday sealed in Zaria by enforcement teams of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) drafted from its Kaduna head office.
Shops that were sealed were those suspected to be selling unfortified sugar, expired and fairly used tyres and electrical wires.
The teams spent almost the entire day on the mission, accompanied by three patrol trucks of heavily armed personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, whose presence made the enforcement possible.
In an interview with newsmen after the exercise, Kaduna State Coordinator of the SON, Mr. Danlami E. Datti said that they embarked on the action in the overall interest of health and well being of the general public.
He explained that the action was a continuation of the directive of the Director General of SON, Mr. Osita Abuloma that unfortified sugar should be gotten rid of all over Nigeria.
“We went specifically to seal shops still endangering Nigerian by selling unfortified sugar. The Federal Government has ordered that three food products; sugar, flour and cooking oil be fortified with Vitamin A.
“This is because it prevents mortality. It is also essential for good eye sight for all citizens, prevents maternal mortality when giving birth and enhances intelligence quota of children,” he said.
On the dangers of substandard tyres, he explained that they were responsible for accidents that lead to death or permanent disability, hence a huge threat to life and must be gotten rid of.
Datti said that for the substandard electric cables, they result in fire outbreaks in most reported cases.
“They also damage electronics and other home appliances, making victims make huge economic losses,” he added.
When asked how Nigerians can identify such substandard products, he advised those seeking to make purchases to always look out for SON logos before purchasing.
“The should look out for SON MANCAP Logo when buying made in Nigeria products and SONCAP Logo for those that are imported,” he said.
