Ilorin, June 20, 2014 (NAN) The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has urged Nigerians to patronise certified local products to improve the nation’s economy.

The plea was made on Friday by Mr Sunday Yashim, Head, Kwara office of SON, while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin.

Yashim said that SON would not hesitate to shut down any factory that failed to meet its requirements.

He said that SON had embarked on regular factory checks to ensure standardisation of products manufactured in the country to enable them compete with those from other countries.

“We regularly embark on in-process quality control checks on products to ensure that raw materials used are of good quality, and that the right processes were adopted till the final output.

“For any new manufacturer, there is always a regular monitoring for the period of three years to ensure consistency in the quality of products before issuing the Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS) certification,’’ he said.

Yashim said that SON was saddled with the responsibility to “ensure that good products are produced for Nigerians”.

He, however, said that the organisation was not responsible for fluctuation in the prices of products.

“Our major responsibility is to ensure that the standard of products from raw materials to final production stages is maintained, and to ensure consistency in quality,” he said.

– NAN