The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency, a safety enforcement agency of the Federal Government, has certified 10,692 electricity projects as fit for use after inspecting a total of 15,931 projects across the country.
NEMSA’s Managing Director, Aliyu Tahir, said the inspection and certification became necessary to mitigate the hazards associated with the misuse/abuse of electricity, which could lead to a terrible price such as injuries, fatalities, equipment damage, and unscheduled downtime.
Speaking in Abuja on Sunday, Tahir stated that in furtherance of the agency’s key role in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, it had carried out the “inspection of over 15,931 electricity projects across the country, out of which 10,692 have been certified fit for use by NEMSA.
“We have monitored 12,114 existing networks and power systems nationwide which is part of the agency’s mandate. Over 3,255 electrical installations at factories, hazardous installations have been inspected by NEMSA.
“There has been a significant increase in the total number of manufacturers of electric concrete poles certified in Nigeria. It has risen from 21 in 2016 to 143 in 2021.”
Tahir explained that for safe, reliable and sustainable electricity supply, it was paramount that the associated hazards were effectively mitigated.
“Mitigating the hazards of electricity to make it safe, reliable and sustainable, led to the development of Technical Standards, Regulations and Codes,” he stated.
The NEMSA boss added, “The developed Technical Standards, Regulations and Codes can only be impactful if effectively enforced, thus the establishment of NEMSA.”
He further noted that the agency was building synergy among staff and between NEMSA and the external stakeholders in accordance with agency’s Act.
He said the Act had empowered NEMSA to collaborate with other relevant government agencies to ensure that all major electrical materials and equipment used in the agency were of the right quality and standard.
“This singular effort has resulted in a synergy framework that has led NEMSA into vital collaborations with agencies such as the Federal Fire Service, Nigerian Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corp, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, petroleum regulatory agencies and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission,” Tahir stated.
