FG to reposition weights, measures dept for optimal performance

The Federal Government says it will reposition the Weights and Measures Department of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment for optimal performance.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Aminu Bisalla, stated this at the quarterly meeting of inspectors of the department in Abuja on Wednesday.

The weights and measures department is saddled with the responsibility of regulating the use of weights, measures counting equipment, weighing equipment and measuring equipment for trade.

The application of the act establishing the department spreads across all the sub-sectors of the Nigerian economy where weighing and measuring equipment are used for determining the quantity of goods and services for a specific amount of money during trading.

Bisalla, who was represented by the Director, Planning and Statistics in the ministry, Ogeanyi Ochepa, said the ministry remained committed to creating the enabling environment for staffers to carry out their statutory roles for best performance.

He said the repositioning effort would help shore up the revenue generating capacity of the department.

He affirmed the management was working toward addressing the challenges faced by officials of the department.

According to him, given the revenue generating role of the department, it is important for the staffers to discharge their statutory responsibility with the highest level of ethics and professionalism in line with the anti-corruption posture of the present administration.

Earlier, the acting head of the Department, Mohammed Sidi, said the quarterly meeting was designed to review the working procedures of the department in line with international best practices.

He stated that the department is involved in standardisation of weighing and measuring equipment used for trade to promote fair trade practices.

Some other responsibilities of the department, according to him, include maintaining Nigeria’s primary standards of measurement of mass, length, and volume as well as verification of quantities of pre-packaged goods to ensure that customers and consumers got value for their monies.

Sidi, however, said that the challenges faced by the unit were limiting the capacity of its inspectors to operate optimally.

He said the non-availability of vehicles for enforcement, and insecurity arising from the attacks of its staff, inadequate capacity and lack of publicity on the activities of the department, were some of the major challenges.

He stated that in spite of the challenges, the department generates 300 million naira for the government annually.

He called for the retention of 20 per cent of the revenues generated by the department as it will help the unit address some of its financial obligations and improve on the discharge of its duties.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the quarterly meeting has `Repositioning Weights and Measures Department Towards Better Legal Metrology Service Delivery in Nigeria“ as its theme. (NAN)