IN D E X

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LCCI BUSINESS YEAR BOOK 2012
dissemination vessel to all advised to
take note of this guidelines which is
designed to acquaint them with SON
general Requirements/Guidelines for
Destination Quality Inspections of
Export and Import. This guideline forms
par of the published Federal Republic of
Nigeria Procedures and Guidelines for
Import and Export Trade in Nigeria in
order to ensure conformity of product
with specified requirements.
2. SON ENABLING ACT
The Standards Organization of Nigeria
(SON) was established by Act NO. 56
of 1971 and was solely vested with the
responsibility for preparing standards
for products and processes and for
ensuring compliance with the Federal
Government policies on Standards, and
Metrology, Quality Assurance of both
locally manufactured and imported
products and services throughout the
country. Act No. 18 of 1990 excised the
Organisation from being an integral part
of the Federal Ministry of Industry, and
granted the organization the status of a
body corporate with perpetual
succession and common seal, which
may sue and be sued in its corporate
name.
The role of SON at the Ports is therefore
to ensure compliance of imported goods
with established technical
standards/specifications (conformity
assessment) in order to prevent
importation/distribution of substandard
products into the Nigerian market.
In line with the statutory Acts
establishing the Standards Organisation
of Nigeria and the Presidential directive
of the federal Government in 1988 to
participate in the regulation of quality of
imported and exported goods and to
establish its physical presence at the
ports, a full fledged Port Inspection
Scheme then became operational in
1989.
The schemes consist of the following:
* Inspection/Examination and
sampling of imported products.
* Laboratory test and analysis
* Release or rectification or
temporary impoundment (Detention)
* Seizure and destruction of poor
quality imported products.
Category of exported and imported
items to be inspected/examined for
compliance with standards or
specifications by SON include, among
others:
* Chemical and Allied Products
* Civil Engineering related
Products
* Electrical/Electronic Products
* Food and Codex Products
* Mechanical Engineering
related products
* Textile and Leather Products
Others hems or products as may from
time to time be directed for Sampling
by the Federal Government through the
authority of the Director-General
(SON) also come under compliance
inspection.
3. SAMPLING EXERCISE AT
THE PORTS
a sample for the purposes of the
Services referred to here shall mean any
product or entity that is brought into
SON store for laboratory tests and
investigation. It shall be understood to
be an economically and technically
needed quantity of the products
specified by testing laboratory,
necessary for performing tests and
investigations, referencing and for
consumer advocacy in compliance with
relevant standards or specifications. All
test samples shall be duly marked and
numbered at the point of sampling. This
identification mark shall be maintained
for the entire record of the sample.
However, it is not in all cases that
products samples are taken.
4. SON REQUIREMENTS FOR
IMPORTED PRODUCTS
The following are the general
requirements of the Standards
Organisation of Nigeria with respect to
compliance 3 inspection of imported
goods.
(a) Name of products, country of
origin, specification, date of
manufacture, batch or lot Number,
applicable standard's) to which they
were produced (e.g. Bs, DIN ISO/1EC.
NIS etc and in case of items like soap..
Food, drinks and such related products,
they should carry expiry date or the
shelf life information as well as
specifications for the active
ingredients(s) where applicable.
(b) Supply of wrong information
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with an intention to conceal information
will result in delay and/or
impoundment/seizure with attendant
consequences.
(c) Products that fail to meet
specifications automatically qualify for
seizure and destruction without
warning.
(d) All information in foreign
language other than English shall be
translated into English language.
Failure to comply may lead to
impoundment of such goods/products.”
(a) Electric lamps (fluorescent
lamps and electric bulbs) shall carry
information on Life performance while
cables should carry information on the
ratings, among others.
(b) All electronic equipment/items
and instruments shall carry Instruction
manual and not diagrams and notations
on the containers.
(c) All electronic equipment/items
and instruments shall carry safety
information and/or safety signs.
(d) All electronic equipment/items
and oilier items where applicable shall
carry guaranty /Warranty information of
at least six months.
(e) Batteries must carry clearly the
ratings and type.
(f) Cooperation from other
Government Agencies especially
Nigeria Ports Authority, Clearing
Agents and the Nigeria
Customs Services in the area of
information dissemination on incoming
vessels and products, inspection time,
noon release by NPA of goods that have
not been inspected by SON
(g) Prompt response and
cooperation from the Clearing Agents
on sampling. Importers should also be
aware of the fact that all goods and
processed materials are subject to
SON's inspection in accordance with
the provisions of its Enabling Law.
Importers are strongly warned to
comply with above requirements as
failure to do so will lead to
impoundment/seizure and /or
destruction and other disciplinary
measures considered commensurate
with the gravity of the offences(s)
5.
INSPECTION/EXAMINATION
AND SAMPLING PROCEDURE
The following are the
procedures for SON inspection and