SON Raises Alarm Over Surge in Fake Roofing Sheets

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has raised an urgent alarm over the growing influx of substandard and counterfeit roofing sheets in the Nigerian market, warning that the trend poses severe safety hazards, structural risks, and economic losses to consumers and the construction industry.

Speaking at a recent stakeholders’ forum in Lagos themed “Boosting the Building Industry Value Chain with Standard Roofing Sheets,” SON Lagos Office Director, Theresa Ojomo, lamented that increasing numbers of local and foreign manufacturers are circumventing Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS), especially in the production of galvanised and coated roofing materials.

Ojomo said poor-quality roofing sheets, often fabricated with insufficient thickness, low tensile strength, and inferior chemical composition, are not only deteriorating faster but also threatening lives and property during heavy rains and winds.

“We’ve observed alarming trends—roofs peeling off, patches fading within weeks, and structural failures across states,” Ojomo stated. “These defects stem from the deliberate flouting of standards and poor installation practices.”


She explained that the non-adherence to manufacturing specifications—particularly those concerning thickness and coating adhesion—has resulted in rusting, leakages, and in extreme cases, roof collapses. Worse still, chemical runoff from degraded sheets has potential health risks when it contaminates household water sources.

In response, SON has ramped up surveillance and compliance enforcement operations, including impromptu spot checks, confiscation of fake products, and the destruction of substandard materials found unfit for reprocessing.

“Our teams are active across distribution hubs, checking gauge measurements, tensile properties, and coating durability,” Ojomo said. “Any batch that fails our on-the-spot analysis is seized and, if beyond salvaging, destroyed.”


The agency also emphasised the role of professional installation. “Even the best roofing sheets fail when installed poorly,” Ojomo noted. She stressed that installers must be trained and certified under the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP).

Cletus Igbojionu, representing the Association of Secondary Aluminium Producers of Nigeria, echoed Ojomo’s concerns, citing poor roofing support systems and widespread ignorance of installation best practices as exacerbating factors.

“Climate change has brought unpredictable weather patterns. Without properly gauged materials and support structures, roofs won’t stand a chance against today’s windstorms,” he warned.


The Director-General of SON, Ifeanyi Okeke, represented by Director of Corporate Affairs, Talatu Ethan, reiterated SON’s commitment to rooting out fake products through collaborative regulation. She noted that enforcement is already underway through port inspections, raids, and prosecution of defaulters.

“Substandard roofing sheets aren’t just a nuisance; they’re a public safety crisis,” Ethan declared. “Our enforcement covers everything from local factories to offshore imports. No one is exempt.”


She urged builders, importers, manufacturers, and end-users to comply with regulatory expectations or risk seizure and possible criminal charges.

“Roofing is the last line of defence in a structure. When it fails, the consequences are catastrophic,” she said.


Ethan also reaffirmed SON’s zero-tolerance policy on non-compliant roofing materials, adding that public education and stakeholder collaboration are key pillars in the agency’s long-term strategy.

The event concluded with a strong call-to-action: all participants in the roofing supply chain must prioritise quality, safety, and sustainability, or face regulatory consequences.

As Nigeria continues to expand its housing and infrastructure base amid changing weather dynamics and rising urbanisation, the integrity of building materials—particularly roofing—remains central to public health, economic security, and national development.