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By Atlantic Reports

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has urged manufacturers and traders to comply with product standards, while women farmers have called for affordable clean energy technologies to reduce food losses and improve their incomes.

Speaking at the 2026 World Standards Day celebration in Abuja on Saturday, SON Director-General, Dr Ifeanyi Okeke, said effective standards were essential to protecting consumers, improving product quality and strengthening Nigeria’s competitiveness in domestic and international markets.

The event, themed “Shared Vision for a Better World”, brought together stakeholders who linked standards compliance to safer products, responsible production and the practical needs of businesses.

Okeke said standards helped build trust and promote fair competition. He urged businesses to meet applicable requirements and ensure their products carried appropriate SON certification marks.

He also highlighted the organisation’s digital standards platform, saying it provided access to standards and supported more efficient processes.

According to him, SON was strengthening market surveillance, product authentication and traceability to curb the circulation of substandard goods.

Standards for cleaner energy

Okeke said SON approved 80 standards in 2024 covering Nigeria’s compressed natural gas (CNG) ecosystem, including conversion kits, storage vessels and refuelling stations.

He added that the organisation’s energy labelling initiative would help consumers compare appliances and make informed decisions about energy efficiency.

However, stakeholders’ contributions highlighted a practical concern: quality technologies must also be accessible to the people who need them.

The National President of the Female Farmers Apex Cooperative Society Ltd, Dr Maimuna Habib, urged SON and development partners to make quality-assured clean energy technologies affordable for women farmers and traders.

“Solar-powered refrigeration, clean energy for agro-processing and reliable renewable energy systems can help women reduce losses, preserve food quality, improve productivity and increase their incomes,” she said.

Habib, a former Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, said her office had built the shed at Wuse Market where Fulani women sell fresh cow’s milk, known as nono.

She stressed that women’s economic empowerment required infrastructure, suitable technology, quality standards and institutional support.

Abuja markets seek alternatives to generators

The Acting Managing Director of Abuja Markets Management Limited (AMML), Mr Onya Ojiji, said the company was working with stakeholders to phase out individual generators in its markets.

He cited Wuse Market as an example of the move towards cleaner energy, saying the shift would reduce business costs, improve safety and limit pollution.

Ojiji said AMML would strengthen its partnership with SON to encourage energy efficiency, clean energy adoption and standards compliance across markets in the Federal Capital Territory.

His remarks outlined the intended benefits, but did not specify a timetable for phasing out generators or how traders would finance alternative power systems.

Protecting quality and creativity

The Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Dr John Asein, urged businesses and consumers to reject shortcuts that compromised quality and undermined creative work.

Represented by the commission’s Chief Information Officer, Mrs Mary Adegbile, Asein described piracy as an attack on creativity, investment and the rule of law.

He said the commission would continue enforcing the Copyright Act 2022 against infringement, explaining that standards protected the quality of products while copyright protected the value of creative work.

For consumers, farmers and market traders, the priorities raised at the event extend beyond compliance: they include access to reliable products, affordable technology and practical support to adopt cleaner energy.

Atlantic Reports: Voices. People. Facts.