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Tag: NEMSA

  • NEMSA warns DisCos against fake equipment use

    The Nigerian Electricity Management Service Agency (NEMSA) has warned electricity distribution companies (DisCos) not to execute or commissin any electrical installation including metering for use without statutory inspection, test and certification by an inspector at the National Meter Test Stations (NMTS) of NEMSA.

    The management of the agency, in a document,  noted that electrical accidents do not just happen but they are caused by lack of adherence to technical standards and safety procedures in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) and other work places.

    In the document titled: Banning of Substandard Materials in the NESI and Reporting of Electrical Incidences (Accidents/Electrocution (S), Electrical Fires) for Investigation,” NEMSA said the move to ban substandard materials was to guarantee the delivery of safe, stable and relaible power supply to the citizenry and to guarantee the safety of lives and property nationwide.

    During the agency’s nationwide monitoring and evaluation exercises by the technical management team and 16 field inspector offices across the country, NEMSA said it discovered indiscriminate use of substandard materials/equipment in the network and bad construction in NESI by the electrical contractors and DisCos.

  • Police, NEMSA to join force on technical enforcement

    Police, NEMSA to join force on technical enforcement

    The Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force, Mr. Solomon Arase has promised that he would direct state Commissioners of Police to support the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) when the agency requests for protection during technical enforcement.

    He spoke at the Force Headquarters, Abuja while playing host to the visiting team from the agency led by the Managing Director, Engr. Peter Ewesor.

    Arase said: “You can be assured that we will put our access at your disposal across the length and breadth of the country. And I will give my directives to my colleagues on the field to say whenever your people have any challenge just feel free to go to any of the commissioners in the states, where the challenges are and you can be assured that they will assist you.”

    NEMSA boss also told the police boss that in carrying out the mandates and roles of the company, the agency would occasionally require to issue enforcement orders and sanctions which might require the assistance of the law enforcement agencies, especially the Police Force while carrying out its enforcement notices/orders.

     

  • NEMSA stops uncertified electric pole manufacturers

    NEMSA stops uncertified electric pole manufacturers

    • To write AEDC over faulty electricity poles

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Electricity Management Service Agency (NEMSA)  Peter Ewesor at the weekend stormed various electricity poles  manufacturing sites in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)  and asked illegal companies to stop work.

    Addressing a worker who simply identified herself as Grace Otobo at KC Best Company, Gudu, he urged the company to cease producing poles until it meets all the requirements and receives the agency’s certificate.

    Leaving a message for the owner of the factory, who was absent during the inspection, the Chief Executive Officer of NEMSA, asked: “Do you have a testing pit? Even if you  have, have  you got a certificate ? He does not have any certificate. I know all the certified pole manufacturers in Nigeria.

    “But the message to him is that the MD NEMSA, the Chief Executive /Inspector of the Federation and said he should please follow the law to do the business he wants to do, especially the one that has to do with power supply.“

    At Bonabest Company in Apo,  the NEMSA boss told an attendant, who identifies herself as Blessing,  “He (block factory owner) should never produce pole until he has actually acquired the right requirements to produce poles.

    “He is producing poles just like a mechanic without the required tools because for you to produce piles there are requirements to be met . Here I can’t see any curing pond, anything that looks like testing pit, because when you are producing pole it is a factory on its own and a factory should have a proper layout .

    “He should not go into this business when he has not got the right required tools.  What happened in the past cannot happen now because this is now a privatized power sector.”

    The Managing Director earlier led the inspection team to Opposite Games Village and Kwuchiguoro on airport road, where  electric poles were defectively installed.

    According to him, NEMSA would today Monday write a letter to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to stop the company that installed the poles from further work since only the power distribution company could connect the poles.

    He noted that the poles did not meet specification yet the manufacturer had not been certified.

    His words: “the we must write a letter to the Abuja Disco to say we notice that a work is being done in this area, it is not done to specification, the poles are not certified Manufacturer’s poles , and say we want you to give us an update on it and make sure the project is stopped.

    This is because even when they finish Abuja Disco it is the only one who can connect them. By Monday (today) they will get our letter.”

    On the poles that were poorly installed, Ewesor noted that the poles were not aligned. He added that the installers used substandard materials to install the poles.

  • Ex-minister Nnaji raises alarm over electrocution cases

    Ex-minister Nnaji raises alarm over electrocution cases

    A former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji Thursday raised alarm of the growing incidents of electrocution in Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

    Speaking during a stakeholders’ forum organised by the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) in Abuja, he tasked the agency on technical enforcement, which he said the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) lacked the capacity to address prior to the establishment of the latter.

    He advised the agency that the only way it can address the danger of electrocution is to ensure proper installation.

    Nnaji said: “And installation -the wiring. The way you install wires in the country needs to be assured that they are safe. So this must be a responsibility and unfortunately for us we have a lot of accidents recently people die of electrocution in various parts of the country.

    “And the only way you can ensure that this is not going on is to ensure that installations are done properly, and that people are not exposed to danger.  And there must be an agency that does this. So that is what NEMSA is supposed to do.”

    The former minister recalled that the failure of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to do technical enforcement led to the creation of a new enforcement agency last year.

    He was among the experts that initiated the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) 2005 that created NERC, NEMSA and other agencies in the power industry.

    He said: “What we wanted to do (in the reform) was to say the Inspectorate Division of the Ministry of power should be a department for regulating technical services. We wanted NERC to take it but perhaps the managers of NERC didn’t understand that aspect, because we have business regulation and then the technical aspect.

    “Somebody has to maintain the technical aspect, and so it did not happen. So the inspectorate division became the engine that created NEMSA. People wondered what was going on then and it became a fury during the process of creating NEMSA,” Nnnaji explained.

    Recall that NERC had opposed the transfer of the former Electricity Management Services Limited (EMSL) to the present NEMSA alarming a case of double regulation. NERC is presently enmeshed in reports about its huge salary and lump-sum N2billion severance package for its seven outgoing ministers next month. It was summoned by the National Assembly along with concerned agencies to explain the remuneration structure, Thursday.

    Nnaji who urged for tougher sanctions, charged NEMSA to enforce all statutory standards and regulations as published by NERC saying, “Unfortunately we have had some accidents recently with people dying of electrocution. So there has to be an agency that enforces safety needs.”

    He also advised the prospective commissioners of NERC from JAnaury 2015 to sit with the leadership of NEMSA and define the roles of market regulation by the Commission and that of technical enforcement by NEMSA.

    The Managing Director of NEMSA, Engr. Peter Ewesor at the forum said the task before the agency in enforcing technical standards and electricity safety is quite enormous requiring the collaboration of stakeholders in the industry towards realizing the objectives.

    Meanwhile the Minister of Power Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has said government will no longer condone the frequent incidences of electrocution, system collapse arising from the use of substandard materials and equipment in the power industry.

    In a keynote speech obtained at the forum, he said: “This administration is mindful of the sanctity of lives of Nigerians and other electricity consumers and would therefore not condone frequent incidences of electrocution and other forms of accidents in the industry due to use of substandard materials and equipment and poor state of electricity supply networks as well as frequent system collapses.”

    While inaugurating the forum, Fashola appealed to the owners of privatised Generation companies (Gencos) and the Distribution companies (Discos) to redouble their efforts at providing efficient electricity to their customers.

    The Minister of State, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri on his part said “The present government will continue to hold you responsible if you fail to act according to NEMSA Act 2015. You must live to your statutory functions and your commercial opportunities to earn more revenue to sustain your operation.”

    The Permanent Secretary, Power, Louis Edozien said there are limited infrastructure to provide electricity and that they are marred by the use of substandard materials. He noted that NEMSA is statutorily mandated to correct this and that it has his full support.

    NEMSA in its bid to enlighten the public in helping to reduce electrical accidents launched its ‘Safety Instruction Guide’ publication. Prof. Nnaji who presented the guide tasked the Discos to distribute it to their customers while creating awareness on where victims of electrical accidents can access NEMSA clinics for immediate treatments.

  • Agency directs Discos to comply with standards

    Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) has directed Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOS) and Construction Companies operating in Nigeria to comply with sector specifics minimum standards and global best practices on safety to avoid sanctions by NEMSA.

    Speaking in Abuja, when he inspected project sites of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (ABUJA DISCO) and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the company handling Abuja rail project.

    The Managing Director (NEMSA) and Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation, Peter Ewezor said that there were pronounced cases of impunity and technical gaps in the power and construction projects in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria.

    According to him, NEMSA is carrying out nationwide enforcement /advocacy visitations to sites where there are faults in power lines, railway/ roads or building constructions.

    Ewezor who identified some areas in the FCT, where there were some constructions defects, said the companies would be sanctioned, unless they rectify these defects.

    He said with the coming into being of the NEMSA ACT, 2015, the era of impunity (anything goes is over) it would no longer be business as usual.

    The honey moon is over, Nigerians and stakeholders in construction and Electricity sector must imbibe the culture of change in all facets of life and do the needful to avoid sanctions.

    He listed the defaulting companies in the FCT to include Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, which had many of its feeder pillars dangerously exposed, or its high tension cables too low that it could be touched.

    He also listed the CCECC which built its railway line in Kubwa, near 33KV power tension.

    Ewezor explained that NEMSA had written to these companies about the dangers these projects posed to human lives, adding that they would still be reminded to rectify these projects.

    He reiterated that if the companies fail to amend these defective projects, then NEMSA would visit them with the full weight of the law.

    Ewezor called on the companies concerned to provide what he called cradle guards or armod cables to protect the exposed high tension cables.

    Ewezor enjoined the Electricity Distribution Companies and Construction Companies operating in Nigeria to institutionalised the ideals of Projects Monitoring and Evaluation its governance structure in order to ensure effective monitoring of projects.

    The unscheduled NEMSA site visitation had in attendance, the full compliments of the Media (Electronics and Prints), senior officials/Management Team of NEMSA and Consumer Rights Advocate,  Kunle Kola Olubiyo (President, Nigeria Consumer Protection Network) amongst others.

  • CPC, NEMSA sign deal on electricity consumers’ protection

    CPC, NEMSA sign deal on electricity consumers’ protection

    Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) have indicated their readiness to provide redress for electricity consumers following a deluge of complaints.

    The two agencies yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja for NEMSA to provide technical data or advice with which the CPC can pursue redress for electricity consumer.

    The deal was inked after the CPC extended “a hand of fellowship to NEMSA for a synergy to address complaints from electricity consumers”.

    NEMSA, according to the MoU, will provide technical data on how companies have contravened electricity rules for CPC to pursue redress for consumers.

    Its Chief Executive Officer, Peter Eweso, an engineer, assured the council that there would be continuous consultation on consumers’ affairs.

    He noted that should NEMSA discover anything affecting electricity consumers, it would bring it to the notice of the CPC.

    Ewesor added that the agency would follow up such issues with reports on its observation.

    He urged stakeholders, including CPC’s workers, to furnish NEMSA with information of suspicious inferior electrical installations and equipment for onward solution before they wreck havoc on the citizenry.

    “I want to thank you for this opportunity for us to sign this MoU today. I want to say that we will continually have consultations on issues and if we see anything that has to do with consumer, which you are not even aware, we will actually make sure that this is brought to your table, followed up with a report on what we have observed so that you can actually follow it up and seek redress.”

    CPC Director General Mrs. Dupe Atoki insisted that it was impossible for agency of government to operate without cooperating with relevant other agencies.

    “That is why one agent of government cannot claim exclusive jurisdiction in its area of operation,” Mrs. Atoki said.

    According to her, there is currently a deluge of complaints emanating from electricity consumers to the council.

    She said working with any relevant agency to minimise the complaints would be heartwarming.

    Her words: “We do know that there are huge complaints that emanated from the supply of electricity to Nigerians. Of course, we will be glad to have the situation where we will be working with any of the relevant agencies to minimise the complaints.”

    But the NEMSA Chief Executive Officer has described any other technical inspector in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) as an interloper.

    Its rival agency, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), had last week appointed 14 inspectors, maintaining that the act that established the commission empowers it to do so.