Check certification marks before you buy products, SON tells Nigerians

The Director-General of SON, Ifeanyi Okeke

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has urged Nigerians to verify product certification marks before purchasing goods to avoid falling victim to substandard and counterfeit products.

The organisation also announced that it had uploaded the list of products certified under its Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) to its official website to enable consumers to identify and purchase quality locally manufactured goods.

In a statement on Friday, the Director-General of SON, Dr Ifeanyi Okeke, disclosed this during the ongoing CANEX WKND 2026 (Creative Africa Nexus Weekend) at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts (National Theatre), Iganmu, Lagos.

Okeke, who led a team of the organisation’s officials to the exhibition, said the online publication would help consumers verify certified products and make informed purchasing decisions.

“This development will help consumers find and buy quality products easily. It puts the power of choice in the hands of the Nigerian consumer, and it rewards manufacturers who have done the right thing by meeting our standards,” he said.

He encouraged members of the public to visit the SON website to check certified products and report any goods carrying fake or questionable certification marks.

The SON boss explained that the organisation’s participation in the expo was aimed at taking its quality assurance message directly to manufacturers, small business owners and consumers.

“Our presence here is about meeting businesses where they are. Many creative and small enterprises have excellent products but do not know how to get them certified. Certification opens doors to bigger markets, here at home and across Africa, and it protects the consumer,” he said.

At the SON exhibition stand, officials engaged exhibitors and visitors on product certification under the Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS).

They also explained the MANCAP certification programme, which covers locally manufactured goods, and the SON Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP), which applies to imported products.

Visitors were educated on how to identify substandard and counterfeit products, verify SON authentication marks and report suspicious goods.

Small and medium-sized enterprises also received guidance on the certification process, including application procedures, product testing and approval.

Okeke said the organisation’s public awareness campaign was aligned with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and its efforts to promote local production.

He emphasised that Nigerian-made products must meet international standards to compete effectively in global markets under the Federal Government’s Nigeria First policy.

The organisation said its participation in the expo was part of efforts to promote quality consciousness, strengthen local manufacturing and protect consumers against substandard products.