Power: Expert tasks stakeholders on safety of electrical materials, infrastructure

An expert on power, Mr Princewill Okorie has tasked stakeholders in the power sector on measures to ensure safety of electrical materials and infrastructure.

Okorie made the call in Abuja on Sunday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Okorie, who is also the National President, Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPA), said that safety, standards and regulations affecting the nation’s electricity sector required collective input.

He said that safety also need active participation of all stakeholders to ensure that it was tackled in a sustainable, effective and efficient manner.

According to him, the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) is faced with safety standards and regulatory challenges such as instability of electricity networks and grids.

“The sector is also faced with poor quality of electricity service delivery, fire outbreaks and electrocution, electricity accidents that lead to loss of lives, destruction of properties and investments.”

According to him, Substandard cables, transformers, meters and solar products; electricity theft, vandalism and consumer extortion has led to collection losses to investors and loss of value to consumers.

Okorie also said that inadequate enlightenment on safety standards and regulatory rules, inadequate information on intervention programmes of International Development Partners and donors were some of the challenges facing the sector.

“Inadequate information on existing training and human capacity development programme on the safety has been a problem in the electricity sector.”

According to him, the Federal Government has made commitment towards enhancing safety standards and regulations in the sector by formulating laws, regulations and established institutions to coordinate, implement and enforce the laws.

He said that the commitment by government aimed at ensuring that electricity service delivery in the country was carried out in a safe, secured and qualitative manner devoid of loss of lives and properties.

“In spite the effort of government in making laws and setting up regulatory policies and establishing institutions and providing guidelines, codes and rules for operators to adhere to. .

“Problems of vandalism, theft, installation of electricity by non-licenced electrical installers, production, marketing and use of sub-standard electrical materials still exist in the country, ‘’ he said.

Okorie said that these practices violated Section 34(1) (e) of Electricity Act 2023, which mandated the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) the power to ensure safety, security, reliability and quality of service in the production and delivery of electricity.

To this end, Okorie said that the House of Representatives Committee on Safety Standards and Regulations decided to collaborate with APPA and other stakeholders in the sector to organise a conference on safety.

He said that the conference would no doubt lay a foundation that would enable the committee carry out its constitutional functions of oversight and investigation enshrined in Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution.