NIGERIA – The Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) has presented the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), main focal agency responsible for the regulation of all activities in the sugar sub-sector in Nigeria, with the International organization for Standardization, ISO 9001: 2015 certificate for service delivery to the market.
ISO 9001 is the international standard for a quality management system.
The Director-General of SON, Mallam Farouk Salim, at the presentation ceremony, urged the awardee to adhere to the standards so approved.
While congratulating the council, he said the award sets NSDC at par with a privileged class of quality management system certified and upgraded organizations in the country.
Represented at the occasion by SON scribe, Mr. Yado Felix, Salim however, warned that the agency reserved the right to withdraw the certificate in case of non-compliance and if corrections are not adhered to.
“Your organization has joined the list of government agencies that have unreserved confidence in their quality management system to the extent of inviting a third party to assess how you run your business against the requirements of the quality management system standard.”
In his response, Executive Secretary, NSDC, Mr. Zacch Adedeji, described the event as, historic and innovative given the general poor attitude to quality and standards in that part of the world.
As reported by The Nation, he assured that the Council is committed to excellence and professionalism in the handling of her activities, hence its resolve to submit the system for certification by SON.
Adedeji made this known while receiving the Quality Management System (QMS) certificate in Abuja, stating that quality and standards are two important attributes that feature prominently in the affairs of the agency.
He said the Council has anchored its corporate mandate or policy on these two ingredients, which was why it didn’t find the guidelines and modules of the SON strange or new.
According to him, the Council is committed to embracing globally tested initiatives and practices that would assist in achieving its mandate, which is to revitalize the sugar sector and for Nigeria to attain self-sustenance in local sugar production.
He added that a lot had been achieved in this regard, especially as it relates to the refining of raw sugar. The council is however out to do more to develop the agricultural aspect of its Backward Integration Programme. It is also committed to realizing these noble objectives, hence its determination to work with willing partners like the SON to improve the processes.
The reforms which culminated in the SON certification were initiated by the immediate former NSDC Executive Secretary, Dr. Latif Busari. He applauded the current leadership and the team for a job well done.
