By Ifeyinwa Obi

Lagos—Freight forwarders weekend said the measures adopted by the  Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, have impacted heavily on  improving the standard and quality of some goods being imported into the country.

However, the customs brokers lamented that this has in turn meant hard  times to both  importers and freight forwarders  who have been struggling to meet the required standard by SON.

Chairman of the Registered Freight Forwarders Forum, RFFF, Chief  Festus Ukwu   said  in Lagos that the measures introduced by the management of SON to check importation of substandard goods into the country had  been a pain on the necks of importers and indeed their customs brokers.

Ukwu explained  that what this meant was  that many importers in their effort to meet required standard and quality  have had to slow down in the turnaround time of importation, a development he said has also affected their customs brokers.

He disclosed that importers who used  to bring in goods into the country regularly have slowed down because they want to ensure that the products  they import meet all the standard and quality needed by SON officials at the ports.

Ukwu whose Forum has been  one of the critics of SON  admitted that the idea of insisting  that imported goods must meet certain standard and quality was good as it will  reduce the nightmare Nigerians  suffer over inferior goods.

He said that many Chinese manufacturers  have become aware that  the policies in Nigeria cannot accommodate   inferior  products and have been the ones  adjusting to meet the required quality and  standard for  Nigerian importers.

He commended the Director General of SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu  and his team for raising the standard of products imported into the country.