By Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has identified the power sector as the topmost priority of all the National Integrated Infrastructure Masterplan (NIIMP) assets classes.
The Minister, while speaking at a briefing of the top Management staff of the Nigerian Electricity Management Service Agency (NEMSA) in Abuja, said that the project would only be achievable if all hands were on deck towards realizing the targets.
Bagudu added that over the years, the government had embarked on several reforms in order to turn around the power sector and the latest was on the new electricity bill. He pointed out that the electricity law repealed the Electricity and Power Sector Reform Act of 2005 and consolidated the law relating to the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
The Minister informed that the Nigeria Electricity Act 2023 prioritized the implementation of tariffs that accurately reflected the cost and service provided, as well as promoted competition in the electricity sector through the use of contracts and rules.
According to him, the main objective of the law was to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Nigeria electricity industry, adding that NEMSA was one of the key players in NESI charged with the responsibility of carrying out the enforcement of technical standards and regulations, technical inspection, testing, and certification of all categories of electrical installations across the nation to ensure stable, safe and reliable electricity networks.
He explained that the Agency strived to ensure zero incidences of electrical accidents, energy accountability; eliminate substandard electrical equipment and material and rid the system of quack electrical installation personnel contractors.
The Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NEMSA, who is equally the Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation, Engineer Aliyu Tukur Tahir, in his remarks, said that their priority was to have a steady light electricity network that was stable, safe, and reliable.
In his own words, “we also strive to ensure zero incidences in the electricity networks, energy accountability, and eliminate substantial electrical material and equipment across our network in the country.
“Electricity has become part of our everyday life, it is a great benefit to all of us but the electricity we use is associated with a lot of hazards and these hazards are so real that they can even affect professionals themselves. So to mitigate these hazards, number of technical standards and revelations are now developed and that was why this Agency was established to carry out enforcement of technical inspection, testing and certification before they are allowed to be used.”