IEEE, LECAN to tackle quackery in electrical installation sector

The Nigerian Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (NIEEE) and Licensed Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria (LECAN) are collaborating to check the menace of quackery in the electrical installation sector.

According to the duo, the partnership will seek to eliminate quackery in the practice of electrical installation through appropriate synergy guided by extant laws.

The National Chairman of NIEEE, Emmanuel Olulere Akinwole, called for coordinated approaches in the practice of engineering profession to enhance safety.

Akinwole explained the efforts made by the institution to produce CAP 106 LFN 1990, which later transformed into current Nigerian Electricity Supply Installation Standards Regulation, NESIS 2015 was a move towards ending untoward practice in the sector.

He stated that there was a gap after CAP 106 LFN 1990 was produced and that effort is needed to bridge the information gap and move the profession forward.

In line with this, he proposed a technical workshop session during the institution’s upcoming International Conference and Exhibition on Power and Telecommunications, (ICEPT) in Jos with its theme, ‘Electrical safety through use of quality materials and workmanship’ by Certified/Qualified Engineering Personnel.

“It is expected that this shall be replicated quarterly across the six geo-political zones of the country subsequently to enhance better understanding and cooperation among the stakeholders for the benefit of the nation,” he said.

In his remarks, National President of LECAN, Dele Akintola, expounded on the effort of the body in her attempt to sanitize the practice of electrical installation work through legislation and certification of qualified engineering personnel stating that engineering practice has never been in conflict except that members were not properly informed on the scope of practice.

He maintained that the approval of engineering drawings/designs were exclusive authority of engineers as stipulated by Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and that engineering personnel as certified by Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), were authorized by law to carry out electrical installation works and the certification of such completed works within the registered category.

On the infractions experienced on the field among engineering personnel, Akintola denounced such harassment of its members stating that such act is unacceptable. He noted that there is need to ensure that certified and qualified engineering personnel use quality materials and workmanship at sites.

He proposed that with current synergy such issues can be resolved through structured information and emphasized that professional members should be guided by the law to save the profession from quacks.