By Nelson O. Bassy
When the Federal Government announced the sack of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of 26 federal agencies and parastatals in February, the announcement was greeted with mixed reactions. While some people applauded the government’s directive, saying that it was a good way of getting rid of men appointed during corruption-dented Jonathan’s administration, others condemned the action arguing that government did not take into consideration the fact that some of the Director-Generals that were relieved of their jobs had tenured appointments. This group argued further that some of them were yet to complete their first-term in the office while others had just one year into their second-term and hence should have been allowed to complete the ‘good things’ they started.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is one of the key government agencies affected by the Federal Government’s directive as its Director-General, Dr Joseph Odumodu, was asked to hand over the mantle of leadership of the agency to the next most senior officer. Since the government’s announcement, a group of people has been calling for his return. This group even went to the news media to say that nobody in the nation’s standards enforcement agency is ‘fit to wear the shoes’ left by Odumodu, hence he should be returned if the government wants the country to be rid of substandard and fake products that have become a serious menace to the economy and the wellbeing of Nigerians.
This article is my humble objective assessment of the situation. Indeed, Odumodu, just like his predecessors, made some contributions to the growth of SON but this modest achievement is not a strong reason to make his ‘shoes too big’ for anybody in the agency to fill. His achievement is being exaggerated because he did not surpass his predecessors. Beyond that, development is incremental. One person lays the foundation, another person builds on it. Whatever achievements this group claimed Odumodu had recorded at the agency was based on the foundations laid down by his predecessors like late Prof. Joseph Abalaka, Prof. Tseaa Shambe, and Prof. John Akanya, who equally made significant contributions during their times in office.
For instance, the vision to construct a laboratory complex in Ogba, Lagos, now waiting for commissioning in December, was conceived by Prof. Shambe, who was appointed Director-General of the Agency in 1999. Shambe, it was gathered, purchased the land and laid the foundation upon which the lab was constructed, meaning that he had the ambition to construct a testing laboratory for the agency. Unfortunately, before he could settle down to start the construction, he was removed from office. Akanya was appointed to replace him to continue with the job. Akanya himself initiated the SONCAP and MANCAP among others during his tenure. Like Odumodu, he was removed and has continued his career at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Thus, the modest achievements Odumodu’s supporters claimed he made while at SON should be seen as foundation-laying which his successors will build upon and even surpass. That is what life is all about: Soldier goes, soldier comes. Nobody has monopoly of ideas or knowledge. There are many people out there with superior ideas and knowledge but because they have not been given the opportunity to explore themselves, nobody recognises their worth. Since his exit, the work of the agency has continued to flourish. Besides, workers are happy under the leadership of Dr. Paul Angya who took over the leadership of the organisation as the acting Director-General. Since he assumed duties in February, Dr Angya has not left anyone in doubt that he has the requisite skill and the right mental attitude needed to drive the affairs of the agency. He has been working round the clock to see that those responsible for the influx of substandard and fake products are brought to book.
As soon as he took over the affairs of SON, Angya fired a warning shot to importers of products which similar locally produced counterparts enjoy core competence and high quality. He vowed he would do everything to protect local manufacturers from unhealthy competition with imported products, adding that this would help to create more jobs and grow the economy. He is already receiving commendations from the organised private sector for his bold steps in the substandard products.
Angya, a lawyer by profession, holds an LLM and a PhD in law specialising on standardisation and quality regulations. He has attended many training programmes and acquired certificates relating to standardisation and quality enforcement while working at SON.
Until his appointment, Angya was the Director, Corporate Affairs and SON Consults and honorary legal adviser to the African Regional Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), Nairobi, Kenya as well as honorary legal adviser of the African Eco-Labeling Mechanism (AEM) – an AUC agency dealing with Environmental and Sustainability Standards in Nairobi, Kenya.
As a foremost expert in the area of standardisation and consumer protection laws, Angya propounds the theory that, consumer safety and protection as well as industrial development and national economic prosperity begin with the work of standardisation and quality regulation of systems, processes, services, materials and products.
•Bassy writes from Abuja