The newly appointed Director General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, has assured that he would promote the development of home-grown industrialisation to support the current administration’s renewed hope agenda.
In his remarks on assumption of office, Okeke said his immediate plan is geared towards realising the agency’s mandate of improving lives through quality assurance. According to him, the strategic approach will be holistic, which will boost made in Nigeria products to strengthen the naira. The new SON DG noted that the organisation would use policies and standard regulations to improve job creation, poverty reduction and boost confidence to trade.
He said he would elevate the agency’s infrastructure to international standards and ease access to test laboratories for Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMES) products. Okeke also said that his leadership would popularise outcome of standards adopted to align with industry needs and global best practices. The new SON boss said such development would go a long way to support both import and export trade.
He said: “I have received the baton of stewardship today; I must take full control of activities of the organisation, while taking directives from my superiors, the Standards Council and the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment.
“My immediate priority will be to review the hand-over notes to address the areas of concern towards achieving our objectives timely.”
He also commended President Bola Tinubu for the appointment, assuring him of his resolve to diversify the nation’s economy away from oil through ensuring that locally made goods are produced to meet global standards. He added: “I am, indeed, grateful to our President for this appointment. I will remain focused on his agenda of homegrown economy and the industrialisation of the country. To my minister, I must thank you immensely for this recognition, as I promise to pursue the realisation of the organisation’s mandate. ”
Acknowledging that governance is a continuum, he pledged commitment towards continuing noble projects on ground that would help in achieving the President’s agenda, increasing the competitiveness of Nigerian products both at home and at the international markets.
Source: The Guardian
