The
Federal Government on Tuesday said it would begin a new pre-shipment
verification of conformity to standards on used vehicles coming into the
country.
The Director-General, Standards
Organisation, of Nigeria, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, disclosed this while
speaking shortly after the signing of an agreement for the
implementation of the conformity to standards of used vehicles.
He said the move was part of efforts
aimed at ensuring the successful implementation of the new automotive
policy of the government.
Odumodu said since the Federal Government
had decided to make the automobile industry a key component of the
Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan, the sector had been identified as a
strategic industry group.
This, he added, was due to its large
domestic market, labour intensive characteristics, strong industrial
linkages, and existing installed base and export potential into the
Economic Community of West African States’ market.
The SON boss said that out of the over
2,000 parts that made up a typical car, the government mandated only
about 120 safety and environmental standards.
This, he added, called for the need to
institute a regime that would ensure the effective enforcement of the
standards and monitor their compliance.
Odumodu stated, “While some measures of
progress have been recorded in the fight against the scourge of low
quality imports to Nigeria over the years, there is general consensus
that the absence of a regime to determine the quality of used motor
vehicles imported into Nigeria has not achieved the desired effect.
“It has resulted in the situation where
many vehicles that have exceeded their permissible and useful life span
continue to dominate the motor vehicle imports into the country.
“This has almost made Nigeria to become a
dumping ground for substandard vehicles, because the focus since the
inception of the SON conformity Assessment Programme has been skewed in
favour of products other than motor vehicles and other heavy duty
equipment.
“We have decided that as part of the
SONCAP regime, a separate pre-shipment verification of conformity to
standard on used vehicles be implemented by the organisation.”
To ensure effective implementation of the programme, Odumodu said three companies had been accredited by SON.
They are Quality Assurance Projects Limited, Medtech Scientific Limited and Cotecna Destination Inspection Limited.
The accreditation, according to him, will
cover vehicle structural, mechanical and safety inspection; vehicle
emission testing; valuation and appraisals of vehicles; odometer
inspection and verification; and regulatory documentation, verification
and authentication.
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