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SON Reaffirms Commitment to MSME Development

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The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country, noting that the MSME sector plays a significant role in job opportunities for the nation’s teeming unemployed youths.

Farouk Salim, the Director General, SON, noted that SON would continue to encourage, build and guide local producers of goods and services on quality assurance and quality control.

Salim gave the assertion during a presentation of the MSMEs Clinics Award in Abuja recently.

He commended the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo for the initiative of the MSMEs Clinics, an initiative to strengthen the MSMEs in the country through government agency’s interventions and also the award for best MSMEs, stating that it is a good reward and recognition system for our teeming small scale manufacturers’ growth.

He recalled that at the Award ceremony earlier in the year, he was personally elated seeing Zainab Ismaila the Managing Director ZIA Spices receiving her award and prize money especially from that part of the country, positioning her as an industrious woman who has done well to achieve the award.

Salim further encouraged her as an employer of labour, to see herself as a role model to other women by sharing her experiences with the female folk in the North East and Nigeria as a whole.

The SON boss also revealed that SON is currently building capacity for Halal standards, stating that products tested, measured and certified with Halal Standards by SON, will help scale up products for export to countries recognising the standards, and help to improve the Nigerian Economy immensely.

In her response, the MD of ZIA Spices, Mrs. Zainab Ismail expressed gratitude to SON and Gombe State Office for their support and guidance on standards, quality assurance and good manufacturing practices, encouragement, that helped her to become a winner amongst other entrepreneurs.

Zainab also thanked SON for the donation of a 10 KVA generator, as it will go a long way in solving power problems in her small scale productions, promising to continue to adhere to standards and being an ambassador of SON.

Adamu Abba Bauchi, the Regional Coordinator North East in his remarks commended the DG for his support to the regional office, he also extolled the Gombe State Coordinator for the support given to the MSMEs in the state especially the award winner, ZIA Spices.

The State Coordinator, James Yakzum stated that out of many entrepreneurs, approached by the office, ZIA spices followed all the procedures given by SON on quality assurance and quality control, hence their achievement of the MSMEs Clinic Award.

The Ag. Director Operations Mr. Yakubu Dauda applauded the award winner for her tenacity in complying to Standards that has bought her this worthy reward encouraging her to keep it up also stating that Operations Department will continue to support State offices towards enhancing local productions.

Mrs. Phebean Arumemi, the Head SMEs desk, in her remarks stated that SON sits as the Secretary of the MSMEs Clinic Award committee and its activities are very stringent and transparent, she therefore praised ZIA Spices for scaling through to be a winner.

Arumemi disclosed further the activities of SON towards SMEs, stating that the SME’s desk is available to attend to the challenges experienced by local manufacturers through the State offices nationwide.


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TikTok Returns on Apple, Google US App Stores as Trump Delays Ban

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TikTok returned to the U.S. app stores of Apple and Google on Thursday as President Donald Trump delayed a ban on the Chinese-owned social media app and assured the tech giants they would not be fined for distributing or maintaining it.

The popular short video app used by nearly half of all Americans went dark briefly last month, before a law took effect on January 19 that requires its Chinese owner ByteDance either to sell it on national security grounds or face a ban.

The following day, Trump signed an executive order seeking to delay the enforcement of the ban by 75 days, allowing TikTok to continue its operations in the U.S. temporarily.

Although TikTok resumed service after Trump’s assurances, Google and Apple kept the app removed from their U.S. app stores.

TikTok, the second-most downloaded app in the U.S. last year, said on Thursday that its latest app was now available for download.

The delay could have been because Google and Apple were awaiting assurances that they would not be prosecuted for hosting or distributing the app, according to analysts.

Trump’s directive said the companies, which run mobile application stores or digital marketplaces where users can browse, download and update apps, would not face penalties for keeping the TikTok app up and running.

TikTok had more than 52 million downloads in 2024, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

About 52% of its total downloads were from Apple App Store, while 48% were from Google Play in the U.S. last year, Sensor Tower said.

The law that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. assets or ultimately face a ban was signed by then President Joe Biden last April, triggered by national security concerns and fears that China could use the video-sharing app to spy on American users.

The U.S. has never banned a major social media platform and the law that passed last year gives the government sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps. Trump said on Thursday that his 75-day deadline on TikTok could be extended.

The turmoil at TikTok attracted several potential buyers, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, who have expressed interest in the fast-growing business that analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion.

Trump has said that he was in talks with multiple people over TikTok’s purchase and would likely have a decision on the app’s future in February.


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FG Order MDAs to Close Commercial Banks’ Accounts, Enforce TSA Policy

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Federal government has directed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) operating in states to close their accounts with commercial banks and fully comply with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.

FG Order MDAs to Close Commercial Banks’ Accounts, Enforce TSA Policy

Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, accountant-general of the Federation,

The directive was issued by Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, accountant-general of the Federation, during a working visit to the Federal Pay Office in Benin, Edo State.

This was disclosed in a statement released on Thursday by Bawa Mokwa, director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment to the TSA policy, Madein warned that no MDA should operate accounts with commercial banks unless expressly approved by the President and officially communicated by her office.

The statement reads:

“While reiterating the Federal Government’s commitment to the Treasury Single Account policy, the Accountant-General of the Federation urged the Federal Pay Officers to monitor and ensure that Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in the States do not operate any account with the commercial banks or circumvent any provision of the TSA policy.”

She further stressed that any exceptions must follow strict guidelines, requiring presidential approval and formal communication from the Office of the Accountant-General.

Madein also tasked Federal Pay Officers (FPOs) with ensuring compliance, upholding transparency, and maintaining professionalism in their financial operations.

She warned against actions that could undermine the integrity of the Federal Treasury and emphasized the need for accurate financial record-keeping.

As part of ongoing reforms, she revealed that the Federal Government is constructing new Federal Pay Offices in some states to address infrastructure and operational challenges.

She assured that her office remains committed to the welfare of its personnel while enforcing compliance with financial regulations, including the Public Procurement Act and the Constitution.

Her visit to the Benin Federal Pay Office was part of a nationwide tour to assess the operations and challenges of Federal Pay Offices across the country.


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NBRDA Investigates Biocatalysts for Bioethanol Production

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National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) is investigating the development of biocatalysts from underutilised bioresources through its Young Researchers Forum (YRF) research group for bioethanol production.

NBRDA Investigates Biocatalysts for Bioethanol Production

Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, director general, NBRDA sated this in an interview conducted in Abuja on Wednesday

Biocatalysts, which can be either bacteria or enzymes, are biological entities that accelerate chemical reactions.

An alcohol-based fuel derived from renewable resources such as plants and algae is called bioethanol. It can be blended with petrol or used in place of it to cut down on petroleum use.

He asserted that bioethanol is crucial and that Nigeria has the means to fully investigate its possibilities, noting that the production of bioethanol will be helpful in setting up bioethanol plants.

“However, the catalyst for the fermentation of sugar to produce ethanol is what we are after, and we have it locally.

“When we isolate the biocatalyst, it is going to be useful in helping to establish a bioethanol factory, which will function very well due to our varying weather conditions,’’ he said.

Bioethanol has similar uses to fuels used to generate other classes of energy like heat, motor power, transportation, and electricity, the NBRDA chief added.

According to him, bioethanol is the most widely used biofuel in modern civilisation, and the process of turning biomass into bioethanol is receiving a lot of attention.

“Biological energies are renewable fuels with minimal pollution and play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas pollution, and one of them is bioethanol, which is obtained from fermentation operations.

“The world’s attention to the use of bioethanol as an energy source is focused on reducing the cost of production and increasing the efficiency of the ethanol industry.

“By consuming ethanol fuel instead of fossil fuels, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions known to be the cause of global warming will be somehow reduced,’’ Mustapha said.

According to the D-G, the creation of the Young Researchers Forum (YRF) demonstrates the agency’s efforts to support nation-building.

He added that young biotech innovators chosen from across the agency’s departments will use the conference as a training ground and launching pad.

The YRF, according to Mustapha, was a manifestation of his wish to establish an institutional framework for mentoring that would close generational divides.

He stated that one of the projects the YRF would concentrate on was the development of biocatalysts for the manufacture of bioethanol.


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