Posted by From Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja on
Standard Oganisation of Nigeria (SON) yesterday alerted members of the public of the existence of large quantities of over-rated electrical appliances in the market.
Standard Oganisation of Nigeria (SON) yesterday alerted members of the public of the existence of large quantities of over-rated electrical appliances in the market.
Speaking at the national workshop on Nigeria-Energy Labeling Programme in Abuja, a senior official of the agency, Mr. Richard Adewumi, said the report of investigation and tests conducted on some of the appliances, such as generators and stabilisers shows that 90 per cent of these products are "fakes and sub-standard."
"About 90 per cent of the electrical appliances especially generators and stabilisers in the market are wrongly rated. The testing we undertook on 30 brands of the products, clearly shows them as sub-standard," he said.
He listed other sub-standard products now in the market to include electric bulbs and grinding machines which usually pack up soon after being put to use.
According to him, affected appliances mostly those imported from Asian countries, adding that these generators bear a mark of six kva when they are actually 2.5 kva.
He specifically fingered electrical appliances imported from China as among the many that are failing the standard test of SON.
Though SON has been carrying out routine testing and standardisation of products in the Nigerian market, Adewumi acknowledged some loopholes in the system which he said could be addressed by the energy labeling programme.
He said SON is introducing a new system known as Conformity Assessment Programme (CAP) which will make sure that all products being imported into the country are subjected tests and accreditation by our agents in the home country before they are allowed to enter Nigerian market.
Beginning from October when the programme is to take effect, any imported goods without the required certification would be impounded and seized.
The new standardisation campaign is being executed in collaboration with the Customs and Exercise Department, other security agencies and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which has made clearance certification by SON a condition for issuing letters of credit to importers.
The energy labeling programme is a project being jointly executed by the Federal Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at the cost of $1 million.
UNDP and Global Energy Fund (GEF) is providing $300,000 while FG will be expected to foot the balance of $700,000 as counterpart funding. Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Turner Isoun represented by the Directo-General of Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Pro. Abubakar Sambo said the energy labeling programme is in line with government's new energy policy aimed at straightening national capacities through the adoption of energy efficiency standards for various categories of
electrical appliances.