The Standards Organization of Nigeria, (SON) said it has blacklisted 23 electrical companies operating in Nigeria for alleged failure in the laboratory test of the regulatory body.
The Head of Ekiti state office of the agency, Mrs Serah Idowu stated this in a statement in Ado Ekiti at the weekend adding that the affected companies were involved mainly in the production of electrical items such as bulbs, plugs, wire and cables.
She said findings showed that many of the items manufactured by the affected companies had flooded most of the nation’s markets and outlets.
She explained that SON decided to expose status and activities of the erring manufacturers so as to curtail possible fire outbreak in homes and offices which the fake and sub-standard products are being used by unsuspecting members of the public.
She said the alarm had also become necessary in view of the threats such cable posed to lives and property of Nigerians through avoidable fire outbreaks.
She said out of 24 companies whose electrical products were tested and examined by the Laboratory and Compliance Unit of the agency in Ekiti state, only one of them scaled through.
She threatened to make public, list of the erring 23 companies if they failed to withdraw all their electrical items from the market and stop further production of such substandard products.
The SON boss disclosed that a meeting had already been summoned with those behind the companies and their distributors where they hope to receive the last warning, as well as obtain undertakings from them not to further put the lives of people at risk.
She warned that after the meeting, products of recalcitrant ones would be confiscated by the agency wherever they are found while their owners would be made to pay a minimum of N1million as cost of destruction.
