Fake Products: Onitsha Traders Rally Round SON , disowns protest by Nwizu

www.odogwublog.com reports that traders in Onitsha, the commercial hub of Anambra State yesterday rose in defense of the Standard Organization of Nigeria’s (SON) efforts in ridding the market of fake products .

The traders lamented the recent protests and attack on the organization and described it as misplaced and unwarranted.

 Speaking under the aegis of Anambra Traders forum at a Press conference in the commercial city, the chairman of the forum, Chief Daniel Okeke  flanked by other officers of the forum noted that about a forth night ago, some people led by one Benjamin Uzochukwu Nwizu organized a protest against the SON which carted away some of the pirated BIC shaving sticks from the warehouse of Bendusco International LTD which he is the managing Director.

During the protest, Mr. Nwizu he said alleged that the Director General of SON, Mr. Joseph Odumodu raided his company’s office, carting away goods and demanding the sum of #20 million from him.

But Okeke said his forum had after a painstaking investigation found the allegation to be false and spurious, adding that SON was right in seizing the B.I.C. shaving stick products because they were pirated.

He further said that Bendusco International Ltd was actually pirating the products of Lagos based Nigerian Ball Point Pen Industry Limited, who are the original manufactures of the B.I.C. shaving sticks.

Bendusco International Ltd, he said has his fake manufacturing outfits at Owerri road in Onitsha and Nsugbe in Anambra East Council Area of the State.

He called on the Managing Director Bendusco International Ltd, Mr. Benjamin Nwizu to tender an unreserved apology to the SON Director-General and the company he fakes its product for tarnishing their image in the public eye through false, and malicious allegations.

He added that they discovered that the protest he organized was actually a ploy to bring SON to disrepute and enjoined the Anambra State Police Command, the State Security Services (SSS) and other Security Agencies in the State to investigate Bendusco International Limited to find who between the company or SON who is right.

 “He organized the protest and mobilized his workers to the street in the name of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Onitsha branch. He is not even a member of MAN.

“SON was right to have raided his company and made some seizures because he was faking the product of another company. “He can’t indict the integrity of SON. We know what it takes to have a product registered with SON. We challenge him to produce certificate issued to him by SON when he registered the BIC products he now claims to be his. “He has no right to make false allegations. The police should investigate him. He pirated some body’s products”, he said.