The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) says it is committed to ensuring safety of electricity usage, lives and property in the nation’s electricity supply chain.
Its Managing Director, Mr Peter Ewesor, made the commitment at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Ewesor, who identified issues of standardisation of electrical equipment and existence of installation quackery as largely responsible for electrical accidents in the country, assured that pockets of issues on standardization of equipment were being addressed.
Ewesor, who was re-appointed for another term in office, however, said that NEMSA, between September 2013 and June 2017, investigated 94 electrical accidents and renewed 1,610 electrical wiring and installation licences.
He said that multiple strategies to ensure safety and mitigate electrical accidents in the country were also being evolved.
“First is our unalloyed commitment to the implementation of the mandate of this Agency.
“We will make life unbearable for any group or individual who insists on endangering Nigerians through refusal to abide by professional safety standards.“
He announced that the agency had secured the conviction of four persons at the Magistrates’ Court in Kaduna for offences of criminal conspiracy, forgery of NEMSA’s certificates.
He said that the conviction would serve as a deterrence to those contemplating forging and counterfeiting NEMSA instruments to carry out illegal installations in the sector.
On enforcement of technical standards to further consolidate safety, Ewesor said the agency had issued enforcement directives to the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) and Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
He listed the directives to include the overhauling of bad networks and systems as well as banning the use of extended cross arms to raise the height of electricity poles.
Others are the eradication of substandard electrical materials and equipment like non-galvanized cross arms and untreated wooden poles.
He said the closure of uncertified electric concrete pole manufactures and factories had also been effected.
He, however, said that the organisation inspected and tested 5,037 new power projects and electrical installations in the power supply chain, adding that 4,138 were certified for use, while 899 were still awaiting certification.
On testing of prepaid meters and certification, Ewesor also said that the agency established and equipped three new additional inspectorate fields at Oshodi, Owerri and Bauchi and fully equipped the engineering and chemical laboratory in Ijora.
He said that 64,222 meters were tested out of which 63,942 passed and 280 failed the testing process within the period.
On staff welfare, he said that focus was on to ensure a conducive environment for staff to scale up and increase investment in human capacity development.
He said that NEMSA was committed to a culture of integrity, transparency and openness in the discharge of its mandate in line with the mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari on anti-corruption.
He assured Nigerians that the agency would be more visible as it intensified efforts on safety of the use of electricity and lives in the power sector and Nigeria at large. (NAN)