The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) have announced their new partnership which is aimed at an outright ban of further importation and indigenous manufacturing of substandard and energy inefficient electrical appliances and apparatuses.
Leading a delegation from NERC to SON headquarters in Abuja, where the final phase of the collaborative efforts was sealed, Anthony Akah, the acting chairman/CEO of NERC, said efforts were being intensified towards educating electricity consumers on efficient management of their electricity consumption and reduction electricity costs.
According to a statement from Michael Faloseyi, the head of media unit at NERC, the visit concluded with a signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two agencies.
Akah said that NERC would need collaboration with relevant agencies of government, such as SON, in ensuring that electricity consumers achieve more efficient management of their consumption and thus increase access to electricity.
He said that the Commission recently stepped up stakeholders’ engagements especially with organisations, whose core functions run symbiotically with NERC’s plan to achieve efficient energy consumption.
So far, NERC has established collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) among others.
The Commission also recently hosted a delegation of Group 4, Course 37 of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS) when a proposal to host annual energy conference was suggested.
“As the power sector regulator, we seek your expertise so that we can pull resources together and drive energy efficiency,” Akah said.
According to him, “the issue of labelling is dear to our heart, we have a local content panel to help us drive more local content in the Nigerian Electricity supply Industry (NESI), conserve foreign exchange and increase employment.”
The NERC boss further noted that labelling of electrical apparatus would assist relevant government agencies and consumers in identifying most energy efficient appliances which importation or manufacturing should be allowed or patronised.
“We are convinced at the Commission that collaborative effort with strategic government agencies like SON would optimise the use of the country’s limited resources through the efficient use of energy,” he added.
In his response, acting director general of SON, Paul Angya said that ensuring and sustaining standards should be a way of life, which is why SON is not relenting in driving quality of production.”
YANGE IKYAA
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