Why Standardisation Has Come To Stay  – Dr. Ifeanyi Okeke, D-G (SON)

* Dr. Ifeanyi Okeke, Director-General of Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON)

Last week, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), and the Lagos state government, came together, to put in place a Standardisation conference for Tourism and related services industries.

The event which turned out to be a much awaited one, saw stakeholders besieged the Eko Hotel venue, in large number. The theme being: Implementing international Standardisation best practices in the hospitality industry.

Chidinma Ewuzie, who spoke for Dr. Ifeanyi Okeke, the Director-General of Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), took the bull by the horns. She did not mince her words, and her countenance as well as body language, revealed that standardisation is here to stay.

“We are working to implement international best practices in the tourism and related services industries,” said Chidinma, “We are not dragging standardization with any agency since by international trade rules, you can have just one national standards body in a country, which is SON.

“SON also renders international certification services, which they introduce to the states, for implementing of such international standards. The states are the regulators in the tourism sector. While SON is not a regulator but has the competence to provide certification services.

And for those who did not know it, Chidinma clarified that SON provides accredited certification service which is recognized by UNIDO, WTO, UNWTO and all countries that are members of ISO.

“Our intentions are clear and is not in anyway, targeted towards anyone but it is our responsibility to upscale Nigeria’s standardization activities, to ensure that our products and services are comparable to those of other countries. Our certifications are also of great value in all African countries,” Chidinma Ewuzie added.