The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a Bill which seeks to repeal the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Act, No.14 of 2015 and enact the SON Act, 2023 with additional functions for the organisation.
The act will create new offences and increase penalties for offences relating to standardisation.
Leading the debate, the sponsor of the bill, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, said the key amendment is to criminalize the production, importation, distribution and dealing in substandard life-endangering products as well as impose a custodial sentence of 5 years without an option of fine on persons convicted.
The lawmaker explained that the bill seeks to mandate the organisation to publish annually, products deemed as life-endangering, and also propose a 50% increment across board for all fines under the old act to align with current economic realities.
According to him some sections in the previous act affect the rights of people such as the reduction in the duration for which the organisation can seize and detain hazardous goods without an order from the Court from 90 days to 45 days.
He added that the power granted to the organisation under the old Act to destroy hazardous goods without an order of the Court has been expunged.
“Some of these challenges range from inadequate penalties for standards-related offences to create sufficient deterrence for offenders, to limited resources for the funding of the ever-increasing cost of standards development and conformity assessment activities.
“SON being the National Standards Body, the proposed amendments will checkmate the threats posed to the national economy by the importation and manufacturing of substandard products that lead to avoidable deaths and monumental economic losses in the country. The journey of quality as often said is without end. An analysis of the trend amongst substandard product peddlers is that the imposition of fines no matter how steep, barely acts as a deterrence to them” Prof Ihonvbere said.
Ihonvbere noted that the idea of a mandatory custodial sentence for certain offences especially those relative to life-endangering products is the most effective tool to deter likely offenders.
Emmanuel Ukoh
