NIGERIA – With a renewed commitment to economic diversification through business facilitation, the Federal Government recently launched the Standards Organisation of Nigeria’s (SON) North-East office and well-equipped laboratory in Bauchi State.
The facility was built to make product analysis easier and offer quality services closer to business owners in the area, said Minister of State for Industry, Trade, and Investment Ambassador Maryam Katagum during the opening of the North-East Regional Laboratory Center in Bauchi.
In order to better serve the needs of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Katagum claimed that the laboratory facility was an integral part of a well-thought-out plan.
The Minister emphasized the necessity for the facility to concentrate on oil and gas laboratory analysis, in light of the productive exploration at the Kolmani oil field, which is located on the border between the states of Bauchi and Gombe.
She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fostering economic diversity through facilitating trade.
According to the Director-General/Chief Executive SON Mallam Farouk Salim, the lab center was one of the tactics used to align organizational operations with its goals.
He said the citing of the laboratory in Bauchi was a sequel to collaboration between the Bauchi government and relevant agencies, which placed it above other states in ease of doing business.
He stated that Bauchi State was the first state to offer SON land for the purpose of constructing an office complex, adding that the decision to locate the laboratory in the FCT and some states is intended to shorten the turnaround time for the delivery of the SON laboratory services, thereby preserving the validity of the testing methods.
The state of Bauchi is highly renowned for the outstanding disposition of its residents, who are brilliant businesspeople in a variety of fields of commerce and industry, therefore the Director General claims that choosing Bauchi as the location of the North East Regional Office was pretty easy and straightforward.
Salim pointed out that the complex’s laboratories were specifically created to cater to the requirements of MSMEs, which are important forces behind Nigeria’s economic growth.
He clarified that the building of the facility is thus a component of SON’s comprehensive plan to lower the cost of doing business for MSMEs in the North East, supporting the Federal Government’s goal of ease of doing business.
The DG went on to say that SON’s conformity assessment program, which is one of the Organization’s cornerstones of the national quality infrastructure, depends critically on testing.
He assured the populace that SON was prepared to obtain accreditation for the complex’s laboratories before the end of his term and claimed that the accreditation would ensure that test results from this facility would be accepted globally in accordance with the tested-once-accepted-globally principle.
The SON boss called on business owners to utilize the facility to standardize their products.
Sen. Bala Mohammad, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, who was speaking through his deputy, Alhaji Baba Tela, promised to continue supporting the federal government’s initiatives for sustainable development in the state.
He also noted that the construction of a laboratory in the state was a significant development that would guarantee high standards for goods and services, safeguard clients, and inspire consumer confidence while fostering trade.
He thanked the Hon. Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment and praised President Muhammadu Buhari for the successful projects that were carried out in the state.
In a letter of goodwill, Alhaji Dr. Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, the chairman of the Bauchi State Council of Emirs, praised SON for the significant undertaking and gave his whole commitment.
Three businesses—Wusnami Bakery, A.M.Y. Ochidah Bakery, and Zuka Food and Beverages—were also awarded MANCAP certificates.
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