The Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has called on Electricity Distribution Companies in the country to patronise indigenous manufacturers of energy meters in order to support local industries.
A press statement by the Head, Corporate Communications of Kaduna Electric, Abdulazeez Abdullahi, revealed that the Senator made the charge Thursday in Kaduna during the Committee’s oversight duties to Kaduna Electric.
He stressed that electricity distribution companies must key into the on-going efforts to turn around the nation’s industrial sector.
According to the Legislator, the current wide spread complaints about metering would be drastically reduced if the distribution companies sourced their meters locally.
“Sourcing meters locally will fasten the Discos’ meter deployment processes, support our industries, grow the economy and above all, lessen the present foreign exchange challenges”, Senator Abaribe contended.
Abaribe also commended the management of Kaduna Electric for the efforts made so far by the Company to improve on its operations.
He particularly expressed the Committee’s satisfaction with the meters deployment programme currently being undertaking by Kaduna Electric in Kaduna, Kebbi and Sokoto states.
He also directed the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to make available to the Committee the audited accounts of all the distribution companies as soon as possible.
Earlier, the Chief Engineering and Technical Services Officer of Kaduna Electric who stood in for the Managing Director/CEO, Engineer Bello Musa, disclosed that the Company had procured fifty thousand meters and that the deployment of these meters was currently going-on in all the franchise states of the Company.
He also announced that another batch of fifty thousand meters was being expected.
He called on the senate to use the legislative instrument at its disposal to ensure that MDAs debts were settled to provide the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry with the needed liquidity.
Other members of the Committee that accompanied the chairman on the oversight visit included Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, Senator Olanrewaju Tejuosu, Senator Mohammed Hassan and Senator Salau Ogembe.
Comments