By Aderogba George
The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) has stressed the need for compliance with standards in the installation of electricity by technicians.
Mr Ibrahim Ndabida, General Manager, Technical Inspectorate Services (TIS) NEMSA, said this at the annual general meeting of the Association of Rural Electrification Contractors of Nigeria (ARECON) in Abuja on Thursday.
The AGM also witnessed election of new executive for the association and the theme was “Off-Grid Power Generation: Key to the industrial and economic growth of the nation.”
Ndabida said there was need to comply with standard through technical inspection, adding that we must always comply with standard and regulation.
According to him, we cannot afford to make mistakes in electricity and that it is mandatory for any technical persons to always have the requisite document that would serve as a guide when carrying out activities.
He further said that the document was what any electrical person should have in order to forestall any unforseen circumstances.
He said the agency was advocating for removal of substandard materials through the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) which had the mandate to sanction the manufacturers of such substandard materials.
“So you must get the right material to ensure you get the right standard as lack of adherence to quality material and equipment is dangerous to electricity installation.”
He said if electricity installation was not properly handled, it could be harmful because it was associated with destructive hazards like electrocution, fire outbreak among others.
This, he said, could come from the use of substandard materials or bad installation, adding that there was need to adhere to the operation and execution of electricity, bringing about standard and regulation.
Alhaji Lamedeen Yusuf, the immediate past acting Chairman of the association, said ARECON was registered with the sole purpose of creating symbiotic environment to engage critical stakeholders in electricity
He said their objective was to drive the process of government electricity project execution and distribution, especially to the unreached rural areas and maintaining the existing ones.
“We are interfacing between government agencies and contractors to deliver the projects seamlessly to the rural areas.”
He said his leadership had achieved several intervention such as collaboration with relevant agencies towards stable supply of electricity, ensuring all electrical installations by the members meet standards
Others include securing collaboration with NEMSA in sanitising power energy sector and training of qualified electrical engineers across the federation.
He said that the association also intervened where there were issues between contractors and relevant agencies.
Mr Rotimi Raheem, the Public Relations Officer, said the off-grid is the key to the industrial and economic development of the country, adding that there was need to get electricity to the rural areas through off-grid.
He said there was need to get electricity to the rural areas, adding that the idea of a mini grid for the rural areas would help solve the problem of electricity in rural places.
The new Chairman of the association, Mr Raphael Adidi, pledged to continue on the good work which the immediate past executive had laid the process.
Adidi also pledged to expand the partnership of the association with the government and other stakeholders in the energy industry.
“As we look forward to the future, let me assure you that the very goal that is top on the agenda of our priorities is to protect the interests of our contractors in all power agencies.
“We will build on the great successes we have had in the past by the outgoing administrations by scaling up technologies to reach and light up tens of millions of more households. (NAN)
