In a recent media interaction in Abuja, Engr. Aliyu Tukur Tahir, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), highlighted the agency’s struggle with insufficient funding, hampering its ability to efficiently carry out its crucial responsibilities.
In a challenging funding landscape, NEMSA faces a shortage of engineers to cover its nationwide offices, hindering its operational effectiveness.
Even amid these financial constraints, NEMSA has made significant strides in recent years.
The agency successfully remodeled inherited assets from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and the Federal Ministry of Power.
Notable projects include the National Meter Test Stations in Oshodi, Port Harcourt, and Kaduna, as well as the Engineering and Chemical Laboratory in Ijora, Lagos.
Expansion efforts have led to the establishment of additional meter test stations in Enugu, with others in Kano and Benin soon to be inaugurated.
NEMSA’s impact is evident in the numbers:
Inspection and testing of 21,681 electricity installations, certifying 13,154.
Testing and calibration of a staggering 2,655,488 electricity meters.
Monitoring of 16,624 electricity networks.
Successful re-certification of its Quality Management System (QMS) to the ISO 9001:2015 standard by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in 2020.
Engr. Tahir emphasized that the re-certification is a strategic achievement, enhancing the agency’s overall performance, ensuring operational thoroughness, and providing a solid foundation for sustainable development initiatives.
While celebrating these achievements, Engr. Tahir lamented the missed opportunities, stating that with sufficient resources, NEMSA could have accomplished even more.
Addressing a prevalent issue, the NEMSA boss discouraged individuals from purchasing transformers independently.
He emphasized the importance of clear agreements with utility suppliers to avoid financial loss, citing cases where individuals forfeited their money due to the absence of formal agreements.
