The Senate has faulted the poor rollout of prepaid meters by the electricity distribution companies (Discos) to consumers despite the release of N33billion support by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
During a visit by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Senator Gabriel Suswan, to Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) on Tuesday, Suswan said local firms had been provided with funds for mass production of meters.
NEMSA is a Federal Government agency with a mandate to enforce technical standards and regulations in the power sector through inspection, testing and certification of electrical equipment and products.
Suswan, after the exercise, expressed dissatisfaction at the poor rate of deployment of the meters despite the fact that the apex bank had released N33billion out of the N59billion earmarked for the project.
The Federal Government had in October 2020, launched the National Mass Metering Programme to upscale the nation’s metering capacity as well as eliminate the controversial estimated billing system.
Suswan said, “There is no way we could wait till those people set up factories before we start deploying meters. So, we are importing meters now.
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“About N59billion was set aside by the CBN but the sum of N33billion has been disbursed already and some meters have been produced even though the deployment has been very poor but that is ongoing.”
“There is a presidential initiative that saddled the Central Bank of Nigeria with the responsibilities of providing money to those who are ready to start meter manufacturing in the country.
“There is seed money at the CBN which they can take at single digit for them to be able to start manufacturing meters so that the issue of complaining of lack of meters and the issue of estimated billings will be a thing of the past.
“Many potential manufacturers of meters are already taking advantage of the initiative. There will be a lot of meter manufacturers in Nigeria within the next two years in Nigeria.
However, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NEMSA, Peter Ewesor, commended the Federal Government for introducing the National Mass Metering Programme, which is aimed at producing about six million meters by 2022.
Ewesor said, “All those who have been bringing in meters from outside the country now have to establish factories in Nigeria now.
“We have actually certified well over 15 companies in the last nine months because they know that if they are not producing meters in Nigeria, they will not have access to the facilities that the government is providing through the CBN.”
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