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The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency on Monday said the suboptimal testing and certification of meters, transformers and other equipment in the power sector, were due to the the lack of adequate manpower at NEMSA.
NEMSA’s Managing Director, Aliyu Tahir, disclosed this to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mutapha, during the formal presentation of the report on the deployment of Self- Assessment Tool in NEMSA by the Bureau for Public Service Reform in Abuja.
He said, “The dearth of requisite staff to complement the manpower of the agency has impacted adversely on the agency’s level of service coverage.
“It is pertinent to highlight that the agency, which is primarily saddled with the responsibility of enforcement of technical standards and regulations, technical inspection, testing and certification of all categories of electrical installations, electricity meters and instruments, is not adequately enabled with the full complement of needed manpower to perform optimally.”
He said it was the responsibility of NEMSA to perform the above functions in order to ensure production and delivery of safe, reliable and sustainable power supply.
This, he said, would guarantee the safety of lives and property in the power sector, other allied industries and relatable premises.
Tahir told the SGF that the last recruitment undertaken by the agency was in 2018, adding that efforts had been made repeatedly to increase the agency’s workforce but had not been successful.
“Over the years, repeated appeals have been made to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for a waiver to employ but the response has not yielded impressive result,” he stated.
He also stated that the yearly challenge of paucity of funds had been a recurring decimal, impeding the provision of facilities required for the execution of the mandate of NEMSA in its various inspectorate field offices in 19 locations across the country.
On the deployment of Self-Assessment Tool in NEMSA, Tahir said the initiative was undertaken in September 2021, as it helped the agency to ascertain the constraints confronting its service delivery in the power sector.
“Based on the analysis of our strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threat, the agency has been able to identify additional opportunities for improvement and continuous improvement,” he said.
Tahir added, “It is my hope that the report on the deployment of the self-assessment exercise will serve as a reference document for the agency to perform better and improve on its shortcomings with a view to achieving greater results.”
Responding, Mustapha, who was represented by a senior official from the SGF office, Habiba Lawal, promised to look into the concerns raised by NEMSA.
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