Aviacargo Committee partners SON on standards to prevent rejection of produce for export

The Standards Organization of Nigeria, SON, has pledged its commitment to protecting Nigerians in ensuring standardization of products and services.

The Director, Training Services, SON, Mr. Timothy Abner stated this during a tour of its laboratories by members of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria FAAN Aviacargo Roadmap Committee in Ogba, Lagos.

He said, the results issued from their laboratories are adjudged as acceptable globally.

The Committee’s inspection of the standards Organization of Nigeria, SON laboratories is to seek partnership with the organization to stop the rejection of exports from Nigeria through the nation’s airports.

While emphasizing that most Nigeria exports are rejected at the point of destination country due to non-certification, failure to meet standards and poor packaging, the coordinator of the committee, Mr. Ikechi Uko said, to avoid rejection, it is important to test the products here in Nigeria, meet global certification before export.

“That is what led us to the understanding that we need labs that can help the process without a lab that product is likely to get rejected. Our desire is to make this laboratories our intrinsic part of our export process, we do not export anything that does not have certification”.

Directors of Training and Laboratory Services SON, Mr. Timothy Abner and Richard Adewunmi harped on educating the farmers and exporters of what is needed to be done for their produce to be accepted.

“We have like five or six parameters to test for a product. It is expected that, if you are going to export product, your process of testing should not start when your product is already at the airport, samples should have been taken before you take it out to the airport”.

On the issue of testing of Aviation fuel at the seaport, the Managing Director FAAN, Mr. Kabir Mohammed who led the committee to SON, said the organization had not been given it rightful place at the ports to do it job to ensure contaminated fuel do not find it way to the airports.

“While DPR as much as they are the regulatory body for this petroleum products, they also may not necessarily have the expertise but those who have the expertise have been kicked out”.
Laboratories inspected by the committee include amongst others, electronics, micronutrients, paints, cement, Generator, meter, cosmetics, polymer, water additives and non alcohol and agrochemical.