NEMSA reiterates commitment to eliminate quacks

The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) has pledged not to rest on its oars in stamping out quack and unqualified electrical installation contractors and bad electrical installations in Nigeria.

This wa revealed at the inauguration of the Oshodi Zonal Electrical Installation Contractors Certification Panel, held recently in Lagos.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Managing Director, NEMSA, Mr Peter Ewesor, said that the agency’s utmost goal is to play part in stamping out quack/unqualified electrical installations contractors and bad electrical installations in Nigeria to ensure the delivery of uninterrupted power supply to Nigerians, ensuring safety of lives and property and taking Nigerians out of darkness into light.

“The Nigeria Electricity Management Services Agency, formerly known as the Electricity Management Services Limited (EMSL), is established by the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency act of 2015 to carry out the functions of enforcement of technical standards and regulations, technical inspection, testing and certification of all categories of electrical installations, electricity metres and instruments to ensure the efficient production and delivery of safe, reliable and sustainable electricity power supply and guarantee safety of lives and property in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) and other allied industries and workplaces,” he said.

Mr Peter Ewesor argued that the obstacles crippling the power sector and other workplaces where electricity is utilised in terms of electrical installations which have engendered unstable networks and fire incidences have been identified.

“Many lapses have been identified in the power sector and other workplaces where electricity is used in the area of electrical installation, which have resulted to the unstable networks and fire incidences over the years. These lapses are design and construction failures, improper planning and execution of electrical projects, use of substandard materials and equipment, deliberate oversight of the procedures, codes and requirements for executing electricity projects as specified by regulations and standard codes of practice, lack of adherence to standard construction and installation, inadequate safety provisions during construction and subsequent utilization of the network.”

He said that the lapses are largely responsible for the networks getting into states of disrepair soon after commissioning them for use, not aging equipment and networks, as regularly adduced as the causes of frequent networks collapse and failures.

“Therefore, the safety, reliability, quality and efficiency of power supply to the populace largely depend on the quality of networks and systems that are built according to specification and standard,” he added.

Mr Peter said that the composition of the panel includes Zonal/Area Inspecting Engineer who is the Chairman, while members are from the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, electrical engineer from the Nigerian Ministry of Works, a representaive of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, licensed Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria, a representative of DISCOs, a representative of Certification Unit, and  Electrical Engineer in the zonal office as the secretary.

Reviewing the functions of the zonal panel, the NEMSA boss said that the zonal panel shall receive completed applications forms from prospective candidates, scrutinising the received application forms with credentials and assessing suitability of such candidates, compiling list of candidates suitable for oral and/or written interview, scheduling date and inviting candidates for the interview/examination, convening the zonal panel interview meeting once in every quarter and maintaining a register of certified electrical installation contractors within the zone.