Tigre brands: Fake products cripples economy, industrialist tells SON

AGUATA, Onitsha, Nigeria – Chief Executive Officer of Sokka International limited, Master Distributor of Carlton and Tiger brands Saw chain, Mr Godwin Ezeemo  has urged the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to seriously combat issue of fake and  sub-standard products in Nigeria.

Ezeemo  made the  appeal   during a courtesy visit by his business partners from Blount International USA led by Mr Eric Moor in Umuchu Aguata Local Government Area of the state at the weekend. According to him, relevant agencies in Nigeria must guard against fake products because it is crippling the nation’s economy.

According to  him,fake products remain   one of the  major challenge in Nigeria economy and SON must wake up to fight the menace frontally . He  lamented the  infiltration of fake and substandard products in the country,  describing it as  a  serious challenge to the nation’s economy.

According to him, the infiltration of substandard, fake and counterfeit products into Nigeria markets has done more harm to the  nation’s economic development. Ezeemo said that he had been a partner with Blount International for over 20 years, as a major distributor of products like Carlton and Tiger saw chain, Odii premium chain saw parts, AET ignition components among others.

He said the  visit was the usual tradition to keep in touch with dealers of their product in Nigeria and to give more room for the dealers to meet with manufactures of the product they trade on. He noted that one of the major aim  of  the visit was to exchanging views on the products  improvement and quality service.

Ezeemo assured that at Sokka International,  they  would always ensure great deal of satisfaction in promoting the right quality brand in Nigeria. The leader of team, Mr Eric Moor,  said that they have come to exchange ideas with the dealers of their products in Nigeria.

He  also  said they were also in Nigeria to encourage them to always buy Tigre Brands products from Sokka International Limited in order to stay away from fake products. Moor noted that the Blount International USA has been in partner with Sokka in the past 20 years and maintained quality  products which had earned them respect.

Also speaking, Mr Edwin Leff Blount International representative in Nigeria said they were happy to partner Sokka International for the past 20 years. According to him, Blount International USA was the biggest producer of saw, chain and bars in the world with over 72 years of experience.

”We would try to help fight fake peddlers of the product in African countries to keep Sokka on track,” he said. Mr Ekene Ikebundu, a dealer of the products said that fake products had made the market dull and appealed to the bodies in charge of control of product to intensify effort to stop infiltration of fake products into the market