Manufacturers in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, have been urged to imbibe good manufacturing practices to enable them produce quality products that meet local and international standards.
Osita Aboloma, director-general, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), gave this advice weekend, in Aba, at a day sensitisation workshop tagged “good manufacturing practices (GMP), organised by SON in conjunction with InterAccess Projects Limited.
Aboloma, who was represented at the event by David Obi, regional coordinator, South-East, SON, explained that good manufacturing practices ensured that products were consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards.
He noted that GMP requirement was flexible and allowed each manufacturer to decide individually how to best implement the necessary control by using scientifically sound designed processing method and testing procedures.
According to Aboloma, the flexibility in the regulation allows companies to use modern technology and innovative approaches to achieve high qualities through continual improvement.
He described Aba as the heart of manufacturing in Nigeria and advised manufacturers in the area to approach the SON for guidance to enable them produce quality products.
Nkwachukwu Agomuo, permanent secretary, Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Abia State, who was a resource person at the event, applauded SON for organising the programme and urged them to sustain it to ensure that locally made goods meet stipulated standards.
In his words, “I want to thank the standards organization of Nigeria at the moment, because what they have just done is important, because without this sensitization, they cannot go out in the streets or markets to start penalizing anybody for wrong doing.
“Sensitisation is important, which they are doing now. And we wish that they sustain this programme and get people to know what is right and wrong. Then, going forward the penalization process can now stand, based on what their law facilitates.
“I want to say to people that SON is hosting this programme to help them come in. SON is saying, let us be friends, there is no hostility about it”. Let them go to SON’s office in Aba, to know what the organisation is doing.
“They can even come to Small and Medium Enterprise Development (SMED) office. We are doing works that would generate good proceeds for everybody.
“But, people are not coming, rather they are sitting in their houses and factories, doing what is not right. For instance, if you are able to get the right certification from SON, you will definitely get leverage to acquiring resources or capital to do your business,” he observed.
Oluyomi Lad-Alabi, state coordinator, SON, Abia State, in an interview stated that the workshop provided an opportunity for officials of SON to interact with stakeholders and intimate them of current GMP, guiding the manufacturing industry.
He also noted that it provided participants with the requisite information, necessary for setting up GMP.
According to Lad-Alabi, good manufacturing practices (GMP) are the practices required in order to conform to the guidelines recommended, by agencies that control the authorisation and licensing of manufactured products.
GMP covers all aspect of production, such as raw materials, premises, equipment and training, personal hygiene of staff and proper transparent and complete documentation of processes.
GMP is typically ensured through the effective use of quality management system (QMS), which manufacturers must have in place. The national GMP spells out the minimum requirement that manufacturers must meet to ensure that their products are consistently high in quality from batch to batch and that they need the minimum requirement and standard for such products.
The rules that govern each industry may differ significantly; however the main purpose of GMP is to protect the end user and to prevent harm from occurring to them, employees and the environment.
The SON is the statutory agency responsible for upholding and enforcing national industrial standards (NIS).
