By Baba Mohammed
Experts have predicted that the knowledge and understanding of metrology will not only help traders and people in the area of safety and being short-changed, it will great boost the Nigeria economy if it well utilised. Unlike meteorology which deals which weather and climatic conditions, metrology is about measurement, weighing and counting.
This was the message at an event tagged ‘Media forum for metrology and awareness and its awareness and its benefits for trade and consumers’ organized by the National Quality Infrastructure Project (NQIP) funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) held at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.
The Deputy Representative UNIDO Regional Office, Dr Raymond Tavares, called on Nigerians to embrace metrology which he said will promote Nigerian products abroad while citing the quality products of developed countries which has contributed greatly to the growth and development of their economies. He said UNIDO-NQIP in conjunction with the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) established the National Metrology Institute (NMI) and supported the establishment of the Metrology Society of Nigeria, the first in the country.
Tavares who is also the NQIP project manager said through the support of the project, public and private sector institutions in Nigeria have gained international and recognition and certification. He said despite the fact that UNIDO is exiting Nigeria after the completion of its project; it will continue work with all relevant stakeholders especially in the area of quality. Tavares commended the media for their reportage of NQIP and advised the journalists not to relent in their reportage by making sure that every Nigerian is aware of the right measurement. He said the NQIP has done so well in the last five years about quality and infrastructure which will benefit Nigeria on the long run.
UNIDO Chief Technical Adviser, Shaukat Malik, delivered a lecture titled, ‘Introduction to Quality Infrastructure and Metrology’, said metrology can make positive impact on the lives of Nigerians and generate more revenue for the country. He said metrology has contributed over 8 billion pound sterling annually to the UK economy while adding that the project has trained transporters, farmers, market women and other relevant groups as parts of efforts to add to the value chain. The CTO said more than 400 people have been trained and developed adding that more accredited training centres have been established across the country.
The Director, Metrology NMI/SON, Engineer Obeyi, said the bane of underdevelopment in Nigeria is because most people are in trade they have no knowledge about and are not aware when cheated. He said the establishment of Nigeria Metrological Institute (NMI) is good for Nigeria as it will help to reduce transaction cost in terms of weighing and measurement and controls fraud and level of substandard products in circulation. Obeyi delivered lecture on Introduction to Nigeria Metrological Institute.
A Director from the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), Engineer Sidi, who spoke on the ‘Role of Legal Metrology for Consumer Safety’, laid emphasis on getting accurate measurement to get it right especially in the medical line. He said overdose or shortage of any medication or drugs can have adverse effect on a patient and most especially in market where cheating goes on unabated as a result proper measurement on the part of the sellers and the buyers who mostly are women and young girls.