SON seizes 500 expired tyres in Calabar

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has seized 500 expired tyres and suspended the sale of 1,000 suspected substandard steel bars in Calabar, the Cross River capital.

The State Coordinator of SON, Mr Udeme Udom, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Calabar.

He said that the items were seized during a market surveillance carried out by the organisation in some building material shops in Calabar between May and June.

Udom explained that the sale of the steel bars was put on hold, pending the completion of laboratory test on the samples of the bars to determine their quality.

On June 16, men of SON embarked on market surveillance and in the process chained over 1,000 steel bars. Five shops were found to be selling iron bars not conforming standards.

These iron rods failed the diameter test conducted by us. Samples of 8mm, 10mm, 12mm and 16mm iron rods were taken and all the products in the shops chained.

The clampdown of the suspected defective iron rods is temporary. We are waiting for the final result from SON laboratory as well as management decision on the defective products,’’ he said.

The coordinator said that apart from tyres and iron rods, the organisation seized substandard automobile parts, consumable products and electrical appliances.

Udom, who decried the incessant rate of building collapse in the country, said that it was necessary to stop dealers from selling such materials.

He added: “expired tyres are responsible for some road crashes in the country. SON will ensure that this menace of selling and selling of expired tyres is checked.”

Udom said that SON had organised several workshops for the dealers to enlighten them on the dangers of building collapse and the need to desist from selling substandard building materials.