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SON Frustrating Growth of Local Technology In Nigeria -Lawyer Tells Court
A Federal High Court, Awka, Anambra state was last Thursday stunned when a counsel to a plaintiff, Mr. Chike Onyali told the court that his client, one Chief Benjamin Nwizu, the Managing Director of D&K Golden City Investment Ltd was being trailed and harassed by policemen attached to the Lagos state Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to Anambra state.
Mr. Onyali who was addressing the court on a case of contempt filed against a Federal Government agency, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) revealed how some policemen and soldiers from an undisclosed military formation were being used by Standard Organisation of Nigeria to patrol in front of the residence of his client at GRA, Onitsha in a bid to silence him in a case he had brought against the defendant.
A Federal High Court, Awka had in February, 2011 restrained the defendant, Standard Organisation of Nigeria which is a Federal Government regulatory body on fake and counterfeit products, including the Inspector-General of Police or his agents from invading into the premises or factory belonging to the plaintiff or carting away Dorco disposable shaving stick razor.
But the 1st defendant, SON went ahead and invaded the factory belonging to the plaintiff at Obosi near Onitsha, including other warehouses and carted away cartoons of shaving sticks, equipment and products worth over N1 Billion Naira.
The presiding Judge, Justice B.I. Gafai, however, adjourned the case till 12th May 2015 when all the parties in the matter are expected to have filed their applications.
Reacting to his client’s alleged harassment by security agents, the counsel to the plaintiff, Mr. Chike Onyali frowned at the rate in which SON was carrying out its statutory functions, stressing that it was a ploy to kill local technology instead of assisting to build local industries because of selfish agenda of a few individuals and insisted on applying the rule of law to save his client’s business which has employed about 200 Nigerians from collapsing.
“SON is not serving the interest of Nigerians, but that of a few individuals. Despite the fact that an order was given by an Onitsha Chief Magistrate Court to restore my client’s factory machines and his seized products, the defendants are yet to do so. This is a deliberate way of killing local technology out of personal greed of a few Nigerians in positions of authority”.
