FG moves to curb influx of sub-standard electrical equipment

THE Federal Government (FG) in an effort to curb the influx of sub-standard electrical equipment into the country has ordered the Nigeria Electricity Management Service Agency (NEMSA) to establish a branch of its office at the airports and seaports for certification.

The Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha Shehuri gave the directives on Thursday at the official presentation of agency’s condition of service and commissioning of surveillance equipment in Abuja.

He said this became imperative as findings revealed that electrical equipment such as transformers, meters deployed to homes and offices by electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) are sub-standard.

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“….. if you see the quality of the products we use, either as electrical appliance in your home they are of very low standard.

“We are not only talking of meters, but we are also talking of transformers that are used by DisCos, transformers used by TCN. I see a future where NEMSA should have an office at the ports,” he said.

On his part, the NEMSA Managing Director, Engr. Peter Ewesor, banned the DisCos from connecting premium customers to the 33kv line to stop poor quality network.

While delivering the 2018 agency’s scorecard, he wondered why DisCos would put customers on primary feeders.

His words; “We have discovered that people now use primary feeder lines as point load.

“Because many people tell affluent customers that there is more power on 33Kv, they request the supply from the DisCos.

“By the time there are several point loads on this line, you no longer get sufficient power to the injection substations where the larger society is being supplied. You now hear of load shedding in the area.”

Also, he explained that the Security Surveillance Equipment being commissioned would allow NEMSA management at the headquarters to monitor real-time online 24/7 the operations and activities in its three National Meter Test Stations at Lagos, Kaduna and Port Harcourt.