The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Electrical

  • ‘Increasing quality of electrical products our priority’

    The Executive Chairman, General Electrical Dealers Association of Nigeria (GEDA), Alaba branch, Felix Nwagu, has said increasing the quality of electrical products remains paramount to the association to checkmate counterfeiting of electrical products.

    Nwagu stated that focusing on quality has become imperative considering the dangers substandard electrical products pose to lives and properties. He spoke during the launch of a historical book on the association. He noted that measures such as workshops and seminars organised in partnership with government agencies were put in place to curb the damage and influx of substandard electrical products into the market.

    He noted that some of the agencies the association collaborates with include the Consumers Protection Council, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, and the Nigeria Customs Service, among others.

    Nwagu stated that such meetings have helped broaden the horizons of members in doing business in line with policies of the government’s agencies. He also spoke on the achievements of the association at the public presentation of the ‘history book’ and award.

    “Aside the seminars and workshops, we have put in place a disciplinary committee to combat substandard electrical products, “ adding that following the envisaged improvement in the power sector, some members with international business experience are building modern and state-of –the-art facilities where electrical products could be assembled and manufactured in the country.

    Speaking on the book, he said, this was an effort to codify the efforts.

  • SON chief urges electrical dealers to embrace self-regulation

    SON chief urges electrical dealers to embrace self-regulation

    Newly elected executives of the Electrical Dealers Association of Nigeria (EDAN), Alaba International Market, have been challenged to embrace self regulation as part of the fight against the dangers posed by substandard products to the nation.

    Standards Organisation of Nigeria Directo-General Osita Aboloma, who gave the challenge while receiving the executives in his office in Lagos, stated that over 70 per cent of cables traded in Nigeria pass through the Alaba International Market.

    According to him, if the traders chose to stock and sell only quality cables and other electrical appliances, importers of substandard products would have no market for their nefarious activities.

    The SON DG urged the Alaba electrical dealers to be more patriotic by patronising certified made- in- Nigeria cables that have been attested among the best in the world and shun the stocking of imported substandard and cloned cables.

    He advised the EDAN executives to guide their members on the need to register all products with SON for traceability and confirmation of quality status in the overall interest of the nation and its citizens.

    Aboloma insisted that all electrical cables coming into the country must have the SON certificate of assessment programme known as SONCAP while locally manufactured products must have MANCAP certification, which is Manufacturers Assessment Programme, for standard quality and traceability.

    He pledged to support businesses  in all material ways possible to make them thrive and add their quota in the development of the economy.

    Also speaking at the occasion, SON Director of Compliance, Bede Obayi, an engineer, charged the electrical dealers to consciously work at developing a positive reputation for Alaba

    International Market.

    He warned that Nigerians are becoming better informed by the day as many other outlets are providing healthy competition to the Alaba International Market on cables and other electrical appliances.

    SON Head of Electrical Laboratory, Mr. Richard Adewumi, advised EDAN members to pay greater attention to issues like ratings, labels and product manuals in order to be in a better position to guide their customers rightly.

    Earlier, the President of  EDAN, Chief Fabian Ezeorjika, commended the SON DG for the renewed fight against substandard products in the Nigerian market and pledged the commitment of his executives to SON in that regard.

    He invited the SON DG and his management to bring the message of standardisation and quality assurance to EDAN members at the Alaba International Market in order to broaden their knowledge on electrical cables and appliances.

  • NEMSA: Uncertified electrical contractors risk imprisonment

    The Nigerian Electricity Management Service Agency (NEMSA) has warned electrical installation contractors without certification from the agency to get it or risk prosecution.

    It said the penalty for not acquiring the certificate is a three-year imprisonment or a fine of N500,000.

    The agency’s Chief Executive Officer, also the Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation, Peter Ewesor, gave the warning during the inauguration of the Abuja Zonal Electrical Installation Contractors Certification Panel in Abuja.

    He said in addition to the imprisonment and fine, the holders of the certificates had sanctions,  which ranged from suspension of licence, a repeat of the installation if it had not caused havoc, and permanent withdrawal of the certificate if the installation led to an accident that caused loss of life.

    The panel has major stakeholders from the sector,  including the Zonal/Area Inspecting Engineer (NEMSA) as chairman.

    Others are from Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Electrical Engineer from Federal Ministry of Works, A representative of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Licensed Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria (LECAN), a representative of DisCos, Electrical Engineer in the Zonal Office as secretary, and a representative of Certification Unit (HQ).

    According to Ewesor, the agency under the Certification of Electrical Contractors in Nigeria on July 26 certified 6,500 contractors while there has been a high rush to the agency for re-certification.

    He said: “The reason we are doing this is that we have noticed that with the certification kicked off, the rush for recertification has been very high, and we have to start this inauguration for people who feel they have to be certified to be certified so that some people cannot be disenfranchised from the exercise.”

    The CEO noted that the goal of NEMSA is to weed out quacks to ensure the delivery of uninterrupted power supply to Nigerians, ensuring safety of lives and property.

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

    He said there are 16 zonal panels across the country, with the inauguration taking off from Abuja because of its proximity to the head office.

    On the composition of the panel of experts from different specialised organisations related to electricity, he noted that that Ministry of Labour was represented in the panel in order to address the issue of safety.

    The CEO said the agency was not certifying contractors for the fun of it, but for owing to the fact  that they  should be able to interpret the regulations, code of practice and also know the consequences of absence of earthing in a house.

  • Cool World Electrical gives discount

    The Cool World Electrical Retail Stores, a subsidiary of PZ Cussons has officially opened one of its retail outlets for prospective customers with attractive discounts and other customer friendly packages.The outlet houses all sorts of electrical and home appliances.

    Speaking at the official opening of the branch store, the Commercial Director, Cool World Electrical Retail Stores, Mr. Olugbenga Kolawole who took journalists round the outlet to display the products, expressed confidence that the outlet will survive the congested Port Harcourt market.

    He said with the branch in Port Harcourt, it has become the seventh outlet owned by stores across the country with six other branches in Ghana.

    “For the next three days, we will offer five percent discount on all sales, we have fliers going round Port Harcourt. It is five percent discount on all your purchases. Next week we will launch another promotion that will run until the end of Christmas and that is going to be a mega bonanza.

    “We guarantee the delivery of your product 48 hours nationwide and that is because we can effectively use PZ depots across the country to deliver your products, which is not available to anybody else who sells PZ products.” he said.

    He added: “We also have in all our locations on-site after -sales service, so if you purchase from us, bring the product back to us and we will service it. We offer on-site services on generators and all kinds of products; we offer free installations on air conditioners too.”

    Also speaking, the General Manager for retails operations, Folakemi Olusa, described the products as durable and of high quality. She maintained that the warranties on each of the products are assured.

    Her words: “We have been doing this for over 40 years; we have proven over the time that we are a brand that is here to stay. Our name is important to us so we do not carry inferior products. In our stores, you will find out that we have people dedicated to customer service.

    “If we had something to hide and we could not be trusted, we would not have brought our face to Port Harcourt, we would have worked under the cover of light but we have refused to do that. If you want to talk about our heritage of trust, PZ Cussons guarantees that,” she said.

  • Electrical gadgets for men

    Electrical gadgets for men

    There is no specific time to get that man the electrical gadgets he would cherish. Gadgets such as smart phones, video games, portable radios, eye zone massager, plug in car Mug, Cway water dispenser, clipper, etc. When buying gadgets for men, know the kind of person he is, his preferred gadget, it is necessary to also know his age, so you don’t end up buying the wrong gadget for the wrong age.

    When older men decide to buy gadgets for themselves, they prefer portable cameras and smart phones. A younger male will appreciate computer games; CDs, bicycle and the likes.

    A trader in Computer Village, Mr Charles Agwu sells portable cameras, laptops and smart phones. He said that his major customers are men.

    An example of gadgets men cannot do without are;

    Spy Sunglasses: spending money on this kind of gadget is not a waste, these sunglasses do a lot more than keep the sun out of his eyes. Equipped with a digital camera, these glasses have 2GB of onboard flash memory, and a field view of 60 degrees.

    Charging Travel Folio: is a device that charges multiple items at the same time-in one central hub. It is more appreciated by someone that is using more than a cell phone.

    Recommended places to get these gadgets are Computer Village and Alaba International market in Lagos.