By FRANKLIN ALLI

STANDARDS Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has raised alarm over cloning of Made-in- Nigeria fabrics by dubious people.

“Look at Daviva and Excellence, for example; most Nigerians do not know that they are made in Nigeria, because they have been cloned by dubious people who go abroad, make inferior ones and return to Nigeria under same producer name, and thus running the local industry aground,” said Engr. Bede Obayi, Head of Department, Inspectorate and Compliance, SON.

Bede said the agency’s fight against substandard products in the textile sector has begun with the seizure of N20 million worth of inferior textile products across different markets in Lagos state.

He said that the seizure was in line with the Federal Government’s agenda to revamp the textile sector.

He said most of the textile firms in the country have gone moribund not because of Federal Government’s negligence or capacity failure but because of inferior cloned products in the markets.

Obayi, who led the agency’s police to the markets, said what happens is that some of the products, though produced in Nigeria, are taken outside the country by unscrupulous Nigerians who connive with foreigners to clone them and bring to Nigeria under same product name, but they are inferior and sold cheap which the local producers can not cope with.”

“SON will get to the root of the matter by finding the smugglers’ routes, locate and fish out the main culprits; seize and destroy the textile fabrics because they are substandard

He urged buyers of Nigerian fabrics to always check for NIS trademark before buying the products, saying that any product that fails to meet Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) will be taken from the market.

Obayi noted that quality should be maintained based on the prescribed standard and should not be lowered based on any factor; if it is to be allowed in the Nigerian market.

He said the products seized were as a result of careful investigation and not witch hunt as information on their location and existence was at hand before the raid.

Earlier, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, Director General of the SON, met with importers of electric bulbs and automotive battery into the country.