The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) has decried the prevalence of substandard electrical equipment in the nation’s electricity supply chain.
According to the managing director of NEMSA, Aliyu Takur Tahir, the agency identified over 68,000 substandard materials used by players in Nigeria’s electricity supply industry in 2022.
Tahir, who disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, said that the agency was embarking on a national monitoring of existing power supply networks and equipment across the country.
“In 2022, we inspected a total of 10,876 new electrical projects, monitored 10,598 existing networks and resolved 771 of them.
“We tested 2,576,607 electricity meters, removed 68,168 substandard materials, investigated 376 electrical accident sites and monitored distribution companies’ compliance level on the existing networks.
“The national monitoring exercise will continue to cover the six distribution companies namely; Port Harcourt, Kano, Kaduna, Yola, Jos, Benin and Enugu.
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“The essence of this effort is to maintain stability in the existing electricity networks and stem the use of substandard materials, cables and equipment in the Nigerian electricity supply industry,” he said.
He also hinted at plans to embark on the inspection and testing of electrical equipment of major importers and distributors in the country.
This according to him, will ensure that the specification of the equipment imported into the country is in line with the technical standards and extant regulations.
Tahir said that efforts were ongoing to strengthen the Agency’s facilities for increased revenue earnings.
Such facilities according to him include the central stores in Oshodi, Lagos, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt which are expected to generate funds into the agency’s coffers.
“There is also a tremendous effort to stimulate the revenue profile of NEMSA’s Hiab truck, jetty waterfront in Lagos, Abuja clinic in Maitama District and transformer workshop.
“In order to provide NEMSA a wider coverage, more inspectorate field offices will be created in all states in Nigeria,” he added.
Also speaking, Momoh Usman, the assistant general manager of the technical inspectorate service of NEMSA, said that efforts were ongoing to resolve gaps in the transmission and distribution of power across the country.
