Mate Energy bags prestigious SON Award

L-R: Internal Auditor, Mate Energy Industries Limited, Ayanwale Bisayo; Customer Relations and Sales Manager, Shakirat Omoniyi; General Manager, Akeem Olalere; MD/CEO, Akinrotogun Muhammad-Rabiu; and Head, HR and Administration, Tola Odushe, during the MCAP award from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, held in Lagos. Photo: Mate Energy Industries Limited,

Mate Energy Industries Limited has achieved a significant regulatory milestone after receiving the prestigious Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme quality award under the 10-year category from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria at a ceremony held in Lagos.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event on Wednesday, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company, Akinrotogun Muhammad-Rabiu, commended the regulatory agency for its recognition and emphasised that the firm has continuously prioritised quality compliance.

He said, “As a company, we have invested a lot to ensure that the products and services coming out of the company meet both national and international standards. We started by training our staff. After training the staff, at the beginning of the operation, we spent close to N100m to buy laboratory equipment to ensure that all products coming out of our company meet both national and international standards.

“As of January this year, we invested an additional N378m to buy laboratory equipment so that every other test that we could not carry out in the plant is being carried out presently in the plant. In fact, the laboratory is one of the best in the country presently for testing lubricants in Nigeria.”

The CEO explained how these strict standards have enabled the firm to build strategic international partnerships as a third-party blender for global lubricant giants, including government-owned firms. “We also ensure that we increase the staff strength in the laboratory because now we have about three international lubricant companies that are currently working with us,” he noted.

“We have HPCL, India, which is a government-owned company in India, and we are the blender in Nigeria. We also have Infinity Lubricant, another international company from India, and we blend their products in Nigeria. You can imagine blending for HPCL in Nigeria; you know the type of standard they want you to meet before they accredit you as their blender. That is how far we have gone in ensuring that we meet quality standards in our plant”, he added.

Addressing the broader impact of the SON recognition on business operations and expansion, Rabiudeen highlighted how local accreditation boosts foreign investor confidence and expands market share across international markets.

“This award means a lot to our company because it has actually upgraded us in the international community. With this award, even these international companies we are bidding for today will be able to give us more recognition by ensuring that instead of doubting our testing methods in Nigeria, they have confidence in our standards,” Rabiudeen explained.

• Reps demand NAFDAC, SON crackdown on fake food, drinks
• Reps ask FG to crack down on fake, adulterated food products
• Nigeria secures global recognition for measurement standards – SON

“Now, it has increased our share of business both in the country and internationally, because we have been seeing clients contacting us from international countries like UAE, India, and Turkey for third-party blending in Nigeria, and we have always been the choice for all those companies”, Rabiudeen added.

Looking toward future projections, the company aims to curb imports by attracting more foreign brands to blend locally, backed by specialised technical support and direct raw material sourcing. “Going forward, based on what we projected on our investment, we are looking at bringing in more international companies to blend in Nigeria,” the CEO revealed.

Assuring consumers and investors of sustained quality and operational excellence, Rabiudeen pointed out that local MANCAP certification offers consumers strong confidence while strengthening internal quality control frameworks. “This has given any consumer of our product more confidence in our operations,” he affirmed.

In his welcome address, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Ifeanyi Okeke, congratulated the awardees for demonstrating quality assurance across various categories.

He said, “Your achievement demonstrates that quality is not merely a regulatory obligation, but a sustained business philosophy that builds trust and creates lasting value. Getting the MANCAP certificate is not easy. It is not child’s play. MANCAP certification involves factory inspection, where we go to your factory to ensure operations are strictly in line with the standards, the way they should be.”