•Says using substandard materials akin to sitting on time bomb 

•Lauds FG for support, seeks more funding 

•Commences inspection of samples of 3.2m meters

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), saddled with the enforcement of technical standards in the power sector, yesterday, disclosed that at least eight Distribution Companies (Discos) had so far been audited to ensure strict compliance with safety requirements.

Speaking during an interview with journalists in Abuja, Managing Director of the agency, Aliyu Tukur, stated that reported cases of injuries and deaths linked to the power sector could be avoided if industry players adhered strictly to standards set by NEMSA.

After a review of mishaps in the sector, the chief electrical inspector of the federation explained that it was found that a number of the safety manuals and codes operated by the utility companies were outdated, prompting an immediate overhaul.

He stated, “When we did the analysis of all the incidents we’ve investigated so far, we discovered that there are a lot of them that involve the personnel of the utility companies. And when we now drilled down, we discovered that most of the causes were due to lack of adherence to approved procedures, safety requirements in operations and maintenance of these networks.

“So we now had to look at their safety manuals. First of all, we ensured that the utility companies had all safety manuals, where all these procedures and safety requirements are well defined. At the end of that, we now had to carry out audits of these utility companies to ensure that they are implementing the provisions of those safety manuals.

“We’ve audited about eight of them so far.”

Tukur added, “This exercise is still ongoing. And we’ve made a lot of observations through this audit exercise. One of the observations is that we have what we call the health and safety codes that were developed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). So it’s part of those documents that contain the regulations.

“And we had to enforce the regulations. So we discovered that some of these safety manuals were not actually in line with the health and safety codes of the country. We had to review them and make sure that they were in line with the health and safety codes of the country.”

While the other Discos were currently being audited, the NEMSA chief executive stated that the agency observed that training of distribution companies’ personnel on key procedures concerning safety requirements had been lacking.

Aligning with Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, on the liquidity issue in the power sector, Tukur stated that when there was no money, it will be difficult for the utility companies to do the necessary investment to revamp the network and carry out rehabilitation works.

He stated, “So, that has also affected the electricity networks in the country. As soon as this is resolved, I’m sure there will be enough investment in the network that will now continue to have rehabilitation, replacement of aging electrical materials and equipment in the networks.”

Tukur maintained that the deployment of non-certified personnel to carry out installations put many people at risk, likening the situation to wearing a time bomb.

He stated, “The first thing is that you are now at risk, because you are not sure whether the job they did is in line with the regulations and standards.

“So, it’s just like wearing a time bomb, and a time bomb that you don’t even know the time it will explode, it’s more risky than the one that you know the time because you can run away. This thing can happen in the night.”

Stressing that NEMSA certification was globally recognised, Tukur said anyone with the agency’s certificate could work anywhere globally confidently.

He urged all those interested to check out the process for certification by the organisation.

While praising the federal government for its support so far, Tukur listed some of the challenges facing the organisation as lack of permanent office accommodation, inadequate funding, and understaffing.

He disclosed that samples of the 3.2 million meters under the World Bank Distribution Sector Reform Programme (DISREP) were currently in its laboratory for testing and certification.

“All these meters that are coming in, we will ensure they are tested and certified before they are allowed to be deployed. Those that are coming under the World Bank programme, we are already in the process of certifying them,” Tukur explained.

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