The Director-General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mallam Farouk Salim has stated that SON has been at the forefront of domesticating international standards for use in the country by working with relevant stakeholders to adopt them as National Standards, as well as providing training and certification services for organisations and individuals in the last fifty years.
Mallam Salim enjoined all Nigerians to support SON in the propagation and implementation of standards for the benefit of the nation and its people through participation in standardisation activities, provision of information on suspected substandard products and demand for quality at all times in purchase decisions.
Mallam Farouk Salim stated this in a statement to mark 2021 World Standards Day in Abuja, saying that the objectives of the SDGs are highly ambitious but attainable.
The theme of the 2021 celebrations coordinated by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is “Standards for Sustainable Development Goals – Our shared Vision for a Better World”.
He disclosed that SON would undertake road shows in Lagos and Abuja as well as conduct a sensitization workshop for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country to propagate the message of the 2021 World Standards Day within the month of October.
The SON CEO stated that the cooperation of many public and private partners and the use of all available tools, including international standards and conformity assessment, are some of the requirements for Nigeria to attain the sustainable development goals (SDGs) aimed at addressing social imbalances, develop a sustainable economy, and slow the rate of climate change.
Mallam Salim posited that the intense battle against a persistent global pandemic revealed the absolute necessity of addressing the SDGs in an inclusive way, to strengthen our societies, making them more resilient and more equitable.
Salim said further that the entire standards system is built on collaboration which is a testament to the power of cooperation and the belief that we are stronger than the sum of our parts. “By working together, we are empowering people with real-world solutions to face sustainability challenges head-on” he stated.
According to him, “It is in this spirit that the IEC, ISO and ITU are engaging in a multi-year World Standards Day journey that showcases the many ways in which international standards contribute to the success of the SDGs.
The Director-General invited stakeholders around the country to join the three international standardisation bodies, IEC, ISO and ITU and SON to affirm the importance of the seventeen SDGs to build back better, stressing that standards are more relevant than ever in this pursuit.
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