23 September 2013, Lagos – Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has dispatched its enforcement officers to go to various markets nationwide to seize and destroy substandard electric bulbs and lamps, saying 80 per cent of them are inferior.
Dr. Joseph Odumodu, Director-General of the agency, who handed down the order during a meeting with dealers of electric bulbs and lamps in Lagos, said that any bulb and lamp found below standards should be seized and destroyed immediately.
He directed that all the lamps and bulbs sold in the market must be registered immediately.
According to him, the electric light market in Nigeria today is filled with more of substandard products especially lamps of different types.
He said a normal incandescent lamp is expected to have a minimum life of 1,000 hours but stressed that according to laboratory results, the measured life of these lamps averages between 200 to 480 hours.
He pointed out that 80 per cent of the energy-saving lamps had failed the life performance test, saying that the cap of some of the lamps break off from the shell after the burn out time, making it difficult to remove such lamp holder.
Odumodu said test carried out on 72 lamps of 34 brands revealed that 44 out of 72 failed efficacy test, while three out of 72 failed initial torsion test.
“Nigerians are losing a lot of money replacing burnt out lamps too often than necessary,” he said. Consumers are being short-changed through the sales of substandard lamp thereby denying them value for money.
“The need to sanitise the electric lamp market cannot be over emphasized considering the cost of replacing substandard lamp and the need to ensure that consumers are not exposed to the danger of mercury after use and disposal. I solicit your support o achieve SON policy on zero-tolerance for substandard products in Nigeria,” he said.
He disclosed that SON has set up well equipped test laboratory for testing of different types of lamps through the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He said the equipment has the capacity to test parameters including luminance, efficacy, wattage, lumens maintenance and torsion.
The Head, Electrical and Electronics Department of SON, Mr. Richard Adewunmi said Nigeria is shifting to energy-saving lamp, hence, there is need to sanitise the sector so as to encourage the end users.
He said any lamp or bulb being imported should have all the information clearly stated on it, adding that they must meet standards. He added that there should be a one year guarantee on the products.
Mr. Arinze Asiegbu, Managing Director, AD Marvellous Company, said most of these substandard products come from China, adding that these products are being sold in large numbers and this is affecting the sales of the original products.
– Franklin Alli, Vanguard
