The Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, yesterday, seized fake electric cables worth over N8 billion from two warehouses located in Etegbin town, Otto-Awori, Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The organisation’s Director of Inspectorate and Compliance, Bede Obayi, who led the raid on the warehouses, disclosed that the importers, who operates at Alaba International Market and currently at large, imported different brands of ‘made in Nigeria’ cables from China with intent to deceive unsuspecting buyers.
He said Nigeria has one of the best, if not the best, cables in the world and wondered why people will want to destroy the brands by faking them.
He said: “This importer knows that the focus is now on made in Nigeria goods and that cables made in Nigeria have been recognised globally as the best, so he went to China with names of seven Nigerian cable companies to fake their products.
“If these electric cables are used to wire a house and there is a problem of power surge, the cable easily yields and melts because they are mainly made from iron with very low resistance compared to copper. It can even lead to fire outbreak and destroy the whole building.”
Obayi noted that apart from the known danger that the fake cables exposed Nigerians to, the companies that had their products faked cannot compete in the market as the imported products will be sold cheaply in the market.
His words: “So the Nigerian companies will have no choice but to reduce their workforce and young Nigerians will be worse off as they will graduate without jobs.”
Obayi said if caught, the importer will be made to face the wrath of the law as the offence is grievous.
Source: vanguardngr.com
