The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), which accused the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of encouraging the importation of false and subpar goods into Nigeria, came under fire from the NCS on Friday.
Customs not only refuted the charge but also said SON was envious of it for its accomplishments in a statement from its public relations officer, Mr. Timi Bomodi.
The Nigeria Customs Service issued a statement that included the following excerpt: “The attention of the Nigeria Customs Service has been drawn to news reports where the Director General/Chief Executive of Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Mal. Farouk Salim, was attributed to have flayed Customs over the smuggling of fake and substandard goods out of the country’s seaports.
In the statement, he was said to have blamed the Service for revenue losses, the prevalence of bogus and inferior items, and implied that SON officials were frequently left out of joint tests by NCS officers. We want to make it clear that the accusations are false.
The NCS has never refused to fulfill any of their requests. – In fact, even without help from SON, the Nigeria Customs Service sends them suspect goods that may violate their trademark and intellectual property rights.
Should the need for clarifications or interventions emerge, there are open lines of contact between SON officials and NCS Area Commands.
Therefore, this comment attributed to the DG establishes a wholly misleading narrative and is perceived as an effort to disparage the NCS.
It is dubious, causes grave concern, and demands examination by astute members of the public. Additionally, it is self-deprecating, regrettable, and shows that SON is unable to fulfill its mission.
The DG SON shall examine internal issues if inferior items enter the open market after providing certificates, taking part in examinations, collecting samples for additional research, and permitting release to the NCS.
The success of the NCS is not accomplished by destroying the reputation of another agency only to seem good or earn easy points, notwithstanding the proverb that success breeds resistance.
