By Stanley Onyekwere
The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), has cautioned the traders against selling substandard products in Abuja, as it will not condone any act that will pose a threat to the development of the nation’s capital city.
Making this assertion, AMMC Coordinator, Umar Shuaibu, said the AMMC being the city manager will support relevant authorities to check the proliferation of fake and substandard products in the city.
Shuaibu, revealed that the Council and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), in collaboration with Abuja traders union have moved to sanitise the city of fake and sub-standard products.He explained that this move was part of the agreement reached at a meeting between the AMMC, SON and representatives of Abuja market traders.
He added that the meeting became imperative, following a recent attack on SON officials, during one of their operations to check the proliferation of expired tires in Apo market.
“There are other dealers, not only tire dealers, we have those that sell rods, those that sell cement, those whatever it is, that is required for daily activities.
“Is it building materials? Is this a technical and mechanical matter? Is it food? Whatever you can go to the market and buy. It has to be of a good standard for you to sell in Abuja.
“So, SON’s function is not only limited to tires, it covers every product in the country and other traders were also here as invitations were also extended to them, so they could hear the message”, he stressed.
The AMMC Coordinator recalled that: “We had a situation whereby Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), went for enforcement in a Apo market to check the activities of proliferation of illegal tires.
“SON is the body that charged statutorily, to check all fake and substandard products in Nigeria. So they went to Apo market for that type of activity. Unfortunately, they were attacked. In fact, their vehicle was vandalised.
“They resorted to us as the city managers because nobody can stop any government agency from performing his constitutional functions”, he said.
He continued: “So we have to collaborate with SON and the market traders, in particular, the Tire Dealers of Association of Nigeria, to ensure that the unfortunate situation never happens again.
“Anybody that is operating his business legally, doesn’t have anything to fear. It is only those people that have things to hide, have skeletons in the cupboard that should afraid of enforcement or monitoring.
“They have all agreed to collaborate and make sure that this issue never repeats.”
He however expressed optimism that in the coming days, with the renewed commitment for collaboration, significant improvements will be noticed in the fight against fake and substandard products in Abuja.
Also speaking, the Director of Operations, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Dauda Yakubu, said the organisation is open to working with any traders’ association to rid Abuja of fake and substandard products.
On his part, the Chairman, Apo Tire Dealers Association, Chimezie Ife, who spoke on behalf of the traders, said whereas there are both good and bad people in the market, the Association is doing everything possible to purge itself of the bad elements within her members.
He reassured the government of his commitment to giving every support necessary to sanitise the market and ensure that the proliferation of fake and expired products is reduced to its barest minimum.
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