Nation’s Industrial Growth: SON Vows to Continue to Protect, Growth of Local Manufacturers 

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Director General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, yesterday reiterated SON’s commitment to continue to protect and the growth of local manufacturing companies in the country in the bid to enhance industrialisation of the nation.

Okeke said such development would also reduce the production of sub standards products and thereby accelerating the economic growth of the country.

Speaking in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital on Thursday while declaring open a one-day Stakeholders’ Forum for Manufacturers, MSMEs, Importers and Exporters, Okeke said the protection of local manufacturing companies remains a main agenda of the present administration in its tasks to discourage importation of goods and services.

The theme of the workshop is “Standards: The Pillar for Innovation, Safety and Sustainable Development”.

The DG, represented by the SON Director, Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Talatu Ethan said: “One of the cornerstones of this administration’s industrial policy is the ‘Nigeria First Policy’”. 

“This is not just a directive from above, it is a challenge to every Nigerian to look inward, support homegrown solutions, and raise the quality of local production. 

“For this vision to be meaningful, we must anchor it on credible quality infrastructure. 

“At SON, we are responding by scaling up our certification, training, and monitoring systems to give Nigerian-made products the credibility they deserve

“Let me make this clear promoting the “Nigeria First Policy” is not about excluding others: it is about preparing ourselves.

“It is about positioning Nigerian entrepreneurs, artisans, and manufacturers to compete favourably, not just within our borders, but across West Attica and beyond. Standards are how we translate patriotic intention into economic success.

“Today’s workshop is a platform for knowledge sharing. Yes, but more than that, it is a space for reorientation. 

“We must move from seeing standards as regulatory burdens to understanding them as business enablers. Compliance with standards is not a favour to SON, it is an investment in your own credibility. competitiveness, and long-term relevance”.

On the theme of the forum, “The Pillar for Innovation, Safety and Sustainable Development”, Okeke said that, the stakeholders were invited to reflect on how innovation can thrive in an environment of order and predictability. 

He said: “When properly applied, standards ensure that innovation does not become guesswork, and that development does not come at the cost of safety or environmental degradation.

“From the way we build our homes, process our food, or power our industries, standards serve as the invisible framework that upholds integrity, quality, and sustainability”.

Also speaking at the event, the Regional Director, North Central, SON, Dr. Marline Wasiri, stressed the need for the stakeholders to continue to ensure the production of quality of their products.

She said this would go a long way of giving them integrity and also allowing their products to compete with other products in the international markets.

She said: “As the Regional Director for the North Central of SON, I want to emphasise that our mandate is not just to regulate but also to support, guide and empower businesses particularly our small and medium-scale enterprises and local manufacturers to grow, compete and thrive both locally and internationally.

“Let me also reiterate that standardisation is not a barrier, it is a bridge. A bridge to new markets. A bridge to safer products and a bridge to sustainable development l of the