Director-General, Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), Farouk Salim has warned steel manufacturers and dealers against sub-standard quality.
Salim gave the warning while speaking at a steel stakeholders meeting in Kano, on Thursday.
He urged manufacturers to produce quality standards in the interest of safety and durability, saying, “the market is already saturated with sub-standard steel products”.
“Many dealers are not able to provide receipts of purchase even after payments. The level of inadequacy in the measurement of steel bars is unacceptable.
“Our special taskforce is empowered to confirm receipts of payment to ensure traceability.
“They are also to confirm calibration certificates for measuring equipment, as well as weigh bridges to guarantee accurate measurement,” he said.
Salim said that all reinforcement bars must comply with the requirements of NIS 117:2004 standard and every sold bar must be accompanied with a mill certificate.
He said that the steel industry was very crucial to the economy of the nation, saying, “we must join hands to make it work”.
“We are insisting on the best quality and standard because we have to protect the lives of Nigerians. We hear of building collapsing regularly, this is not unconnected to the use of sub-standard steel products,” he said.
The DG further stated that the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement had placed a huge responsibility on Nigerian steel manufacturers to promote high product standards.
“ We may begin to have cases where products from Nigeria are rejected and returned because of poor standard, if we fail to get it right.
“We are ready to deal decisively with anyone found to be producing or distributing sub-standard steel products,” he said.
Salim urged steel manufacturers to also form strong trade unions that would collaborate with other stakeholders to tackle the challenges in the industry.
Also speaking at the event, Haruna Leko, a manufacturer, expressed the readiness of stakeholders in the industry to collaborate towards tackling common challenges.(NAN)
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