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By Valentine Amanze
Only the non- discerning will underrate the critical role of the Nigerian media in enhancing and facilitating national development aspirations, says the Director General (DG) of the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Dr Ifeanyi Okeke.
Okeke made the disclossure at a one-day capacity workshop for Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CICAN) in Lagos on Tuesday.
He explained that the workshop was targeted at empowering participants with the right information about standardization, product quality assurance and regulatory framework all of which he stressed were essential in the quest for a new Nigeria.
Okeke, who was represented by the regulatory agency’s Director, Corporate Affairs, Mrs Talatu Ethan, stated: “As partners in progress, your role in promoting industrial development, trade facilitation and consumer protection cannot be overstated….You are the key translators between the technical language of standardization and the everyday understanding of our citizens.
“We recognize that your platforms – print, broadcast and digital, shape public perception – influence consumer behavior and impact industrial compliance.
“Your pen is powerful. It can catalyze change, demystify standards and deepen national conversations around made-in-Nigeria products, quality assurance and competitiveness”.
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Consequently, the DG urged the attendees to become advocates of quality and champions of the Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS).
He said that they have a critical role to play in projecting the Nigeria First policy which prioritizes the patronage of locally made certified products, adding that they are also to enlighten all sector operators and the public on how standardization helps Nigeria to harness the full benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA).
Okeke, who said that standards had become the currency of global relevance, also tasked the participants to sensitize local manufacturers and businesses and Nigerians on the importance of compliance with the NIS, while urging them to promote the visibility and benefits of SON’s key programmes, like the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) and other product certification schemes.
Besides, the Chairman, CICAN, Mr Charles Okonji, had said that the prevailing realties of rising inflation and the alarming increases in the prices of goods and services and their impacts, especially on the real sector of the economy, makes Media empowerment and partnership an imperative if only to enlighten the public on steps by the government at fixing the challenges.
He also described the capacity building workshop as a most welcome and very timely event, even as he canvassed SON’s sustained partnership for mutual benefits.
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