Nigeria’s foremost standard regulator, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has raised alarm that a certain substandard Toyota brand of engine oil is in the Nigerian market.
The body said the suspected substandard engine oil was discovered through the agency’s regular market surveillance conducted nationwide.
In a statement by the agency last weekend, SON said while the substandard product has no relationship whatsoever with the Toyota brands, the fake engine oil in question is said to come in one litre and four litre containers to unsuspecting Nigerian consumers.
In the statement, SON’s director general, Dr. Osita Aboloma, stated that while the product is imported, it had not undergone any of the agency’s offshore conformity assessment process, and that it is not registered with the agency for traceability and quality verification.
The Standards’ Regulator appealed to manufacturers to adhere to acceptable standards in the production of quality products. SON’s Director of Compliance, Obiora Manama, advised Nigerians to avoid the purchase of the suspected counterfeit brand of engine oil in the meantime.
He said the agency’s operatives were on the trail of other uncertified and unregistered brands of engine oil in the market for necessary regulatory action. He advised the general public to patronise only certified Made-in-Nigeria brands of engine oil with the MANCAP logo and imported brands that had undergone the agency’s offshore conformity assessment process and were duly registered for traceability and quality verification.
This year, SON imported essential materials to combat the challenges of COVID-19 through the deployment of 28 relevant international Standards from the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), and one from the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), on alcohol based hand sanitizers.
Chibisi Ohakah, Abuja
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