Etim Effiong
Standards Organisation of Nigeria has warned Nigerian consumers against the proliferation of substandard lubricant in the country.
The agency warned Nigerians to steer clear of a brand of engine oil known as Toyota engine oil, stating that the products had not undergone any offshore conformity assessment.
Director, Inspectorate and Compliance Directorate, SON, Mr Obiora Manafa, at an enforcement exercise in Lagos, said on investigation they discovered that the products have no relationship with the real Toyota vehicle manufacturing company.
He said, “It is necessary we raised this red alert for the public to know what we discovered in the market and you know we carry out regular market survey activities across the country and we have 42 state offices across the country where we do these market survey.
“We discovered this brand of engine oil in the market, Toyota brand of engine oil and from our records, this brand of Toyota engine oil has not undergone any offshore conformity assessment process which we call SONCAP.
“It has not undergone the product registration process for traceability and quality verification, so it is necessary that we alert the public that as far as SON is concerned, these products are substandard, and we do not encourage anybody to buy it.
“We do not encourage people to patronise these products because these are the kinds of products that can cause engine damage to motor vehicles, machinery, generators and the likes.
“When engine oils are not subjected to test, you cannot vouch for the quality and you cannot recommend such oil for any vehicle or machinery and these are the engine oils that lack the necessary quality additives required of a good engine oil.”
He said the first quality of a good engine oil should help to facilitate friction, prevent sludge gathering in the engine and reduce leakages.
Speaking, Manafa warned consumers to always look out for SON logos for locally-made engine oils and SON registration numbers on imported engine oils.
Manafa added that the products had not met the requirement of the standard, which is NIS 370 for engine oil, emphasising that efforts were ongoing to nab the importer of the fake and substandard lubricants.
“We are appealing to Nigerians not to patronise these products because we cannot vouch for the quality. We are also sending a stern warning to the importers of these fake products because we are going to apply the provisions of the SON Act 14 of 2015, where we are going to prosecute anybody we find importing these products and we would arrest them and prosecute them in line with the provisions of that act,” he said.