Ernest Chinwo
2 December 2008
Calabar — The Standards Orgainsation of Nigeria (SON) has issued a seal of acceptance to cassava flour packaged by the Partnership Opportunities for Women Empowerment Realisation (POWER), the pet project of the wife of the governor of Cross River State, Mrs. Obioma Liyel-Imoke.
The product was packaged from the cassava processing centre of the organisation at Okpodu in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River state.
The organisation which controls the quality of locally manufactured and imported goods into the country issued its Mandatory Assessment (MANCAP) Certificate for the product in Calabar stating that the product had passed all its tests on standards.
The Director in charge of Laboratory Services in SON, Mr. Linus Njoku, who presented the certificate to Liyel-Imoke said the certificate is a stamp of Nigeria 's mark of authority on the product.
He described the quality certification as a journey and not a destination and called for maintenance of the certificate as it could be revoked any time SON confirms deterioration of standard.
"With the SON's stamp of authority, flour millers now have another source of cassava flour to patronise as they pursue the attainment of 10% cassava input to their products", he said.
Part of the provisions of the cassava initiative by the Federal Government require a 10% input of cassava in every products of flour millers, a move which was intended to add value to cassava which Nigeria grows in large quantity but was yet to get good value for.
The SON official commended officials of the organisation for not reducing the POWER programme to a talk shop as is obtained in other states noting that otherwise they could not have got the MANCAP certificate.
According to him, "In so many states, the issue of women empowerment is a talk show but in Cross River State, it is different because to achieve this product certification is not easy."
Receiving the certificate, Liyel-Imoke said that POWER is an NGO dedicated to the empowerment of women farmers in Cross River state by teaching them to add value to their vocation thereby increasing their economic benefit.
She said its basic concepts and areas of intervention are agriculture, merchandising, creative arts, travel and tourism and human development.
She said the recognition and acceptance of the product by SON would serve as an encouragement to work towards the certification of other products of the project like garri.
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