From Doyin Adebusuyi, Ado Ekiti
The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) in Ekiti state has shut down 20 business organisations in the state for offences ranging from poccession of non-standarzation certificates and poor quality products.
The Head of SON in Ekiti state, Ayeni Feyisayo who made this known in Ado Ekiti on Monday at a sensitization seminar on the theme; ” The Importance of Quality and Globalization of Small and Medium Scale Entrrprises”, to mark this year’s World Standard Day, said over 100 more enterprises were currently under close watch of the agency, and may incur its wrath anytime soon if they failed to turn a new leaf.
He stressed that SON would not compromise its stance on the need by manufacturers and producers of edible items to abide by the rules by living up to the oath of their certification.
“The 20 shut businesses are just the few that we have sealed-off since the begininig of the outgoing year, the figure could have been more, all we did was to apply human face and see if more than 100 others under watch will see reason and follow our standard rules
“We have made them to understand that the fact that your business had once been certified does not guarrantee that it will not be re-visited for purpose of re-certification, the implication of this is that you don’t think all is over, and that you can reduce quality of your products
” That is why in SON, we do make sure we have minimum of four visitations, most of which are u.announced or unsvheduled
“We do no want the public to miscontrue our actions as basically punitive, hence the need to first give opportunity window to some of them to correct errors or improve on the quality of their products, so that in the end, we will be seen as corrective than punitive
“All we are doing is to ensure that the quality and taste of life of the consumers are geometrically increased, and only companies that can supply these needs will continue to dominate. “