Coleman accuses SON of weak prosecution
Coleman Technical Industries Limited, on Monday accused Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) of needing to strengthen its enforcement efforts to protect genuine manufacturers and consumers from substandard products.
The company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, George Onafowokan, made the call while responding to questions from journalists after a media tour of Coleman’s factories in Sagamu, Ogun State.
The Coleman boss questioned the number of counterfeiters prosecuted by SON, alleging that the regulator had not done enough to ensure that offenders faced criminal sanctions.
He also alleged that SON sometimes focuses on charging manufacturers for testing cables rather than working with relevant agencies to prosecute those involved in counterfeiting.
Onafowokan said regulators should emulate the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which, according to him, had intensified enforcement against counterfeit pharmaceutical products.
“If there is no consequence, all you’ve done is just remove a little off my shelf. I’ll buy another one because you did not tell me I’ve become a criminal for doing it,” he said.
He stressed that substandard cables could cause fires and endanger lives, making stronger enforcement and prosecution necessary.
He called for stiffer penalties for manufacturers and distributors of counterfeit and substandard cables, saying weak enforcement is encouraging the growth of the illicit trade.
He argued that confiscating and destroying counterfeit cables without prosecuting those responsible would not serve as an effective deterrent.
Onafowokan disclosed that Coleman had been working with the Nigeria Police Force, including the office of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Tunji Disu and various zonal and state commands, to tackle cable counterfeiting.
He said the company had incurred significant costs supporting investigations and legal processes, including laboratory testing of suspected adulterated cables.
According to him, Coleman was awaiting the conclusion of a case which could become the first in Nigeria in which a person would be convicted and jailed specifically for adulterating cables.
