The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has moved to strengthen its collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS) to improve standards enforcement, market surveillance and consumer protection in Kaduna State.
The State Coordinator of SON, Kaduna State Office I, Engr. Emmanuel Husseini, disclosed this during a familiarisation visit to the Kaduna State DSS Command on August 12, 2026.
Husseini, who represented the Director-General and Chief Executive of SON, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, said the organisation was committed to ensuring that locally manufactured and imported products complied with applicable Nigerian Industrial Standards.
He sought the support of the DSS in intelligence gathering, particularly in identifying the sources and distribution channels of suspected substandard, counterfeit and adulterated products.
Receiving the SON delegation, the State Director of DSS, Hakeem Abiola, FSI, welcomed the initiative and assured the organisation of the Service’s maximum cooperation.
Abiola stressed the importance of inter-agency collaboration in tackling the circulation of unsafe and substandard products, urging SON to promptly share intelligence on suspected products and their locations.
He also encouraged the organisation to strengthen its engagement with market associations, which he described as valuable sources of information that could assist regulatory agencies in identifying suspicious products and activities.
Husseini explained that SON’s Market Surveillance Department conducts routine surveys to identify certified and registered products, as well as uncertified, counterfeit, defective and adulterated goods in the market.
He said the objective of market surveillance was not merely to police the market but to protect it by ensuring that quality products were allowed to thrive while substandard goods were removed from circulation.
The engagement ended with both agencies committing to enhanced information sharing on suspected products and locations requiring regulatory intervention.
As part of the engagement, Husseini presented a copy of the SON Act No. 14 of 2015, as amended, to the DSS State Director, reinforcing the legal framework governing SON’s regulatory mandate and the shared objective of promoting safer markets and protecting consumers in Kaduna State.
