In a renewed effort to safeguard lives and property, the Oyo State Government has expressed its readiness to deepen collaboration with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to curb the proliferation of substandard steel and iron rods in the market.
The Commissioner for Investment, Trade, Cooperatives and Industry, Adeniyi Adebisi, made this known while receiving a SON delegation led by the Special Assistant to the Director-General/Chief Executive on Strategic Support, Mr. Manji Pius, at his office in the State Secretariat, Ibadan.
Adebisi said the partnership aims to promote public safety, quality assurance, and sustainable industrial development in the state. He noted that the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde has intensified efforts to enforce building and engineering standards across Oyo State.
Commending SON for its proactive role in safeguarding lives and ensuring industrial integrity through product standard enforcement, the commissioner described quality assurance as a key driver of the state’s economic and industrial growth agenda.
“We appreciate the efforts of SON, especially in addressing issues that affect the safety and confidence of our people. The Ministry is fully ready to partner with you to ensure that substandard products are eradicated from our markets,” Adebisi stated.
He urged SON to consider Oyo State as a strategic location for its proposed laboratory complex, citing the state’s growing industrial potential and its emergence as a manufacturing and trade hub in the South-West.
Highlighting the increasing recognition of “Made-in-Oyo” products, Adebisi said locally produced goods have attracted both national and international attention, including at the 2025 Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) in Algiers, Algeria. He stressed that maintaining product quality and standardization would further enhance the competitiveness of local manufacturers in global markets.
The commissioner also assured that the government would support SON’s land request once formally submitted, noting that the establishment of a modern laboratory would boost regulatory efficiency and attract more investment to the state.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Olajide Mamud Okesade, described SON’s initiative as critical to ensuring industrial growth and public safety. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting the agency’s mandate and announced plans to form a joint technical committee to develop strategies for collaboration, quality monitoring, and public sensitization.
In his remarks, Mr. Manji Pius said SON’s visit was to seek the Oyo State Government’s partnership in tackling the circulation of substandard steel materials, which have been linked to frequent building collapses nationwide.
He revealed that investigations by SON indicated that over 85 percent of collapsed buildings in Nigeria were caused by the use of undersized or low-quality reinforcement bars.
Pius explained that under the SON Act No. 14 of 2015, the organisation is empowered to set and enforce standards for all manufactured and imported products, including steel and construction materials.
“SON has been carrying out regular inspections and enforcement exercises to ensure that only products meeting the Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS 117) are allowed in the market,” he said.
He also underscored the importance of standardization in Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), stressing that only products that meet approved standards would qualify for intra-African trade.
Pius appealed to the Oyo State Government to provide land for the construction of a befitting SON office and laboratory in Ibadan to enhance regulatory capacity in the South-West region.
The visit, he said, reflects the shared vision of both institutions to promote industrial excellence, ensure product integrity, and strengthen consumer confidence in Oyo State and across Nigeria.
