February 16, 2018

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on Friday demonstrated the destruction of a large number of substandard tyres worth billions of Naira with the aid of a hi-tech machine.

The Director-General of SON, Dr Osita Aboloma, said at the demonstration site that the aim was to discourage importers and to prevent them from refurbishing the tyres.

Aboloma said the instant destruction became necessary because importers were now fond of erasing the original date of manufacture (D.O.T) from such tyres to deceive buyers.

The director-general, who was represented by Mr Bede Obayi, the organisation’s Director of Inspectorate and Compliance, said that such tyres had caused havoc on Nigeria’s highways.

Aboloma said: “SON has seen cases of D.O.T erased to deceive Nigerians and SON will not relent in its fight against such products and will continue to evolve innovations as importers come with new tactics.

“We appeal to Nigerians to watch out for such tyres because these substandard tyres have been trashed in their originating countries.

“SON with the collaboration of other enforcement agencies has been able to mop up some expired tyres across the country. All of them will be destroyed by the machine in Lagos,’’ he said.

Aboloma said that issue of how to destroy the tyres had been a challenge, adding that the acquisition of the machines would make it easy without causing environmental hazards.

“We didn’t want to throw the tyres into the sea because they will not melt and can cause aquatic problems.

“When they are burnt, it will cause environmental problems for Nigerians.

“So, SON got hi-tech machines to destroy the tyres beyond repairs and cannot go back into circulation,’’ he said.

He said the tyres to be destroyed were worth billions of Naira, urging importers to get the approved SON CAP number and desist from putting four tyres together which made them dead on arrival.

He also appealed to Nigerians to stop patronising such products.