No country can survive without steel industry — SON boss

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

Faruk Salim, the Director General, Standard Organization Of Nigeria (SON) has said that no country can survive and make progress without steel industry.

He stated this during a one-day stakeholders meeting with steel manufacturing campanies, held in Kano state yesterday.

The DG stated that steel industry represents the progress of any country, noting that “no country survives and make progress without the steel industry. If the steel industry is not competitive the country would not survive.”

Salim also eaffirmed the commitment of SON in curtailing the circulation of substandard products in the country.

He said the objectives of the meeting was to address the menace of producing substandard steel, which according to him, was a major portion of development in any nation.

Salim explained that Nigeria recently signed a pact on free African trade, hence there was the need to ensure standard of Nigeria’s steel products, aimed at curtailing the menace of building collapse and other challenges associated with the production of substandard steels in the country.

“ If our industries are not competitive,then all of you here would not have a business tommorow, this is not good for our country and for everyone. Our responsibility is to protect Nigerians,” he said.

The Director General noted that the agency is focusing on rubbing minds together with the manufacturers geared towards finding lasting solutions to the problems.

He appealed to the individual traders to focus on ordering products that are standard, saying “if they sells substandard products which lead to building collapse and other related issues, they would also be held responsible for the damages caused.”