NEMSA Appeals For Adequate Funding, Lists Out Achievements

Given the enormous tasks reposed on it to guarantee safe and technical standards of all electrical installations for reliable and sustainable power supply, the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) has appealed for increased budgetary allocation for funding of its operations.

This is even as records available revealed that the Agency has within the lean resources available to it made some achievements in terms of its assets development, execution of its statutory activities as well as successfully meeting up virtually all regulatory standards required for its efficient performance.

These indications emerged as the NEMSA Managing Director/CEO, Engr. Aliyu Tukur Tahir, had interactive session with Editors and Bureau Chiefs on the operations of the agency.

According to Engr. Tukur Tahir, “the roles, responsibilities, and functions of NEMSA are very critical in the power sector and at the same time enormous.

“For instance, for effective coverage of the length and breadth of the country, enough engineers and technical personnel are needed.

“With the evolving global trend in electricity generation, transmission and distribution, especially as the world is tilting towards renewable energy, there is need for our engineers and technical staff to be trained and retrained.

“This training will provide requisite knowledge our engineers need.
In order to provide NEMSA wider coverage across the country, more Inspectorate Field Offices will be created in all states in Nigeria”.

Although, he noted that the government is doing its best within the available resources, he solicited for adequate funding while assuring the determination of the Agency to continue to carry out its statutory function of Technical Inspection, Testing and Certification of all electrical materials and equipment in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI)

Meanwhile, he disclosed that in terms of assets development, the agency has carried out remodelling of inherited assets from the defunct PHCN and the Federal Ministry of Power namely; National Meter Test Stations in Oshodi, Port Harcourt and Kaduna; Engineering and chemical laboratory in Ijora, Lagos; Inspectorate Field offices at Eko Lagos, Sokoto, Ilorin, Ibadan, Maiduguri, Kaduna; established additional Meter Test Stations in Enugu (Completed and commissioned); Kano and Benin (buildings completed); established additional field offices at Owerri, Uyo, Bauchi, and Oshodi Lagos; established Meter generation museum/gallery at Oshodi Lagos (Commissioned already), Port Harcourt and Kaduna (Yet to be commissioned).

The NEMSA Managing Director further hinted that the agency is targeting to have its offices in most states to ease delays associated with monitoring and testing of electrical installations and certification.

Already, Engr. Tukur Tahir enumerated that 21,681 Electricity Installations Projects had been inspected and tested out of which 13,154 had been certified; 16,624 Electricity Networks monitored; about 4,921 Factories, Hazardous Installations and Public Places inspected, tested and certified fit; 2,655,488 Electricity Meters Tested and Calibrated while 487 incidences were investigated.