Africa
IN its bid to ensure that Nigerians enjoy regular power supply, the Federal Government has begun process toward addressing the challenges of power transmission and distribution.
Mr Tahir Aliyu, the Managing Director, Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), made this known to newsmen on Tuesday in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tahir had earlier led NEMSA Task Force on a monitoring visit to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
NEMSA enforces technical standard and regulations, technical inspection, testing and certification of all categories of electrical installation.
NAN reports that the effort of NEMSA was basically to ensure that there is reliable, self and sustainable electricity supply across the country.
Aliyu said that the Minister of State for Power, Mr Goddy Jedy Agba, inaugurated the task force on Aug. 5 to monitor the existing network and as well interface point between transmission and distribution.
He said that the exercise was aimed at identifying and resolving the challenges between transmission and distribution of electricity so as to ensure regular power supply to consumers.
“At the end of this exercise, so many things will come out and it would enable planning as well as directives from the ministry, regular and NEMSA.
“When these directives are implemented, then the identified challenges would be eventually removed,” Aliyu said.
The NEMSA managing director said another challenge borders on encroachment on the right of way of feeder line, adding that people had built structures, houses and markets under the power lines.
According to him, such constitutes very high risk in the event that these power lines snap and fall on these structures, which has the likelihood of electrical accident.
“We want to avoid these accidents. This exercise will also look at these encumbrances that are within the right of way or power lines to see how they can be removed.
“This problem is national in nature. It involves the Federal, State and Local Governments, because these structures are either allowed by the state government or approved by the local government,” he said.
Aliyu said that the Ministry of Power would organise the National Council of Power’s meeting, which would involve the state and local government areas, as well as all agencies that have to do with power.
Earlier, Mr Kingsley Achife, the IBEDC Managing Director, said the team were in Ibadan on a monitoring visit to identify the constraints between transmission and distribution.
Achife expressed hope that positive decisions would be taken at the end of the exercise based on the challenges they identified and their submission.
“In a situation where we are serving over 21 million people across 91,000 square kilometres, its clear that you cannot use something like 400 to 430 megawatts to feed them.
“We cannot use the 400 to 430 megawatts we get on daily basis to feed all these people, it is not possible. It is too small,” he said.
Achife also said that they have over 500 communities that were underserved, adding that investors would be confident to serve these communities when all constraints were cleared.
He expressed optimism that the exercise would bring about positive results when necessary decisions were made and policies implemented.
NAN reports that the team visited the Ayepe sub-regional transmission station in Ibadan.(NAN)
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Tags: Goddy Jedy Agba Kingsley Achife NEMSA Tahir Aliyu
